By Lyn Capistrano, Apolonio Jimenez Off-grid electrification for development of small islands represents a number of unique challenges under the broad category of rural electrification. Small, off-grid island communities are particularly vulnerable to diesel price fluctuations and natural disasters, and thus, enhancing resilience through more sustainable and cheaper energy technologies should be a key priority. Financing the transition to these technologies – usually photovoltaic, micro-hydro or sometimes wind – is an essential hurdle to overcome. Once electricity systems are in place it is equally important that they are sustained in the longer term with effective arrangements for operation and maintenance, cost recovery etc. Related to this, is the productive use of the energy provided to increase islander incomes. The workshop on Bunaken Island, Sulawesi, Indonesia from 3 to 5 November 2015, organised by the Smart Villages Initiative in collaboration with Kopernik, will explore these issues and develop recommendations for policy makers, development agencies and other stakeholders in energy provision to island communities. More info: http://e4sv.org/events/off-grid-islands-electricity-workshop/

1. PCWS
Improving the water supply,
sanitation and hygiene (WASH)
situation of the poorest
communities in the Philippines

2. PCWS engages in interrelated activities of a bigger effort combining
policy recommendation, awareness raising, capacity building,
hygiene promotion, environmental protection, and strengthening
partnerships to ensure access to potable water and improved
sanitation in communities.

3. PCWS
PCWS (www.itnphil.org.ph) used to be known as International Training
Network (ITN) when it started in 1990 as a project of the Netherlands-
based International Institute of Infrastructure, Hydraulics and
Environmental Engineering (IHE). From 1990 to 1998 ITN was funded by
the Dutch Government. Towards the end of Dutch Government funding
support in 1998, the remaining personnel registered the project
organization with the Philippines’ Securities and Exchange Commission
as Philippine Center for Water and Sanitation – The ITN Foundation.
Since 1998, PCWS has been supporting itself through its professional
fees obtained from training, technical support, research, advocacy and
consultancy services provided to UN agencies, local governments, NGOs,
national government agencies, corporations, and communities.

4. PCWS
This presentation is about PCWS’ experiences in working with
communities in the Philippines …
• Community resiliency is reinforced by introducing low-cost water supply and
sanitation technology options applicable to the local situation.
• PCWS safeguards the human right to water and sanitation by building the
capacity of communities to sustainably manage their water supply and
sanitation resources.
• Skills in the design, construction, operation and maintenance of water supply,
sanitation and hygiene (WASH) systems are transferred to local people through
hands-on trainings.

5. Low-cost Water,
Sanitation, and
Hygiene (WASH)
Technologies
PCWS

6. PCWS
Water and sanitation systems need not be expensive.
They must offer quick solutions and encourage innovations.
Ferro-cement Construction Technique
• An alternative to costly conventional concrete construction
• Closely-spaced mortar and small diameter reinforcement: wires, meshes
• Costs 65-85% less than conventional reinforced concrete
• Reusable molders – makes replication easier and cheaper
• Curved shapes = stronger structures

7. PCWS

8. Water & Sanitation Technology Options
PCWS

9. Water & Sanitation Technology Options
PCWS

10. Water & Sanitation Technology Options
PCWS
Material Cost: PhP 1,500 to 2,000 per unit
Labor Cost: PhP 1,000 to 1,500 per unit
Mold Fabrication Cost: PhP 1,500 to 2,000 per mold set

11. Water & Sanitation Technology Options
PCWS
• Purifies water up to 99.9 %
• Easy to build and use
• Minimal maintenance
• Per unit materials and installation
cost: PhP 500.00

12. Water & Sanitation Technology Options
PCWS
A 4-cubic meter capacity biogas digester can serve as communal septic tank for 6 household toilets.
Biogas digester septic tanks built in wetland communities produce clean energy for cooking and
serves as an alternative to mangroves being cut for fuel.
• Material Cost: PhP 2,000 to 2,500 per cubic meter
• Labor Cost: PhP 1,500 to 2.000 per cubic meter
• Mold Fabrication Cost: PhP 1,000 to 1,500 per cubic meter

13. Water & Sanitation Technology Options
PCWS
Wastewater is a resource that can be collected, treated using natural
processes, stored, and used for food production and horticulture.
A simplified, low-cost wastewater treatment plant composed of biogas
digester, anaerobic filter, gravel filter, planted gravel filter and lotus pond
designed for small spaces
Parts of a wastewater
treatment plant
• Biogas digester
• Settler
• Filters
- Up-flow gravel filter
- Planted gravel filter
- Sand filter
• Lotus/fish pond

14. Water & Sanitation Technology Options for Small Islands
PCWS
Parts of a small household-scale wastewater treatment plant: gravel filter, planted gravel
filter, and sand filter integrated into the fish pond

15. The process
of treating
wastewater
can beautify
shared social
spaces and
enable people
to grow
vegetables
and
ornamental
plants.
PCWS

16. PCWS
A low-cost wastewater treatment facility
for institutions and households with limited
resources can take various forms and
designs based on available space and other
resources, as well as whether the
community is water logged or flood prone.
Building the community’s capacity to
construct, operate, sustain, innovate and
scale-up low-cost wastewater treatment
systems can become a shared goal.
It is hoped that this initiative could
encourage other innovative community-
based researches, ideas and analysis
that would benefit especially those with
limited resources.

17. IMPLICATIONS and
RECOMMENDATIONS
• Enforcement of Clean Water Act using this simplified
low-cost wastewater treatment technology.
• Backyards and corridors can be converted into useful
spaces for aesthetics, waste management, horticulture,
food production and environmental protection efforts.
• Sustainability of water and sanitation infrastructures --
such as a simple wastewater treatment facility -- would
also need social infrastructures such as citizens that
are aware and protective of the land, people powered
efforts initiated by households and communities, etc.
Even a small area of land can make a massive
difference as it can link together protected forests,
wetlands and other vital ecosystems that still survive.

18. IMPLICATIONS and
RECOMMENDATIONS
• Going green requires shifts in mind set
and policy, as well as significant
financing.
• Take this initiative forward … Support
and finance efforts for more pilot
testing and up-scaling of practical
technologies useful to low-income
communities with limited resources.

19. Some Ways to make Community Water and Sanitation Systems
Resilient against Threats and Climate Change:
PCWS
• Practice household water
treatment and safe storage.
• Ensure there are diverse water
sources available and protect
them from pollution.
• Treat wastewater for
environmental protection and
water conservation .
• Avoid drilling of more wells.
• Promote environmental
sanitation and hygiene to avoid
polluting water resources.
• Reduce overall water demand
and use water more efficiently.
• Increase participation of
community members in decision-
making on water resources
management.

20. Some Ways to make Community Water and Sanitation Systems
Resilient against Threats and Climate Change:
PCWS
• Rainwater harvesting is one way of coping with uncertainty amidst
climate change.
• Other ways of ensuring community resiliency:
- Promoting informal, small-scale water and sanitation systems
- Greater understanding of the options for storing water
- Creating and maintaining a strong association focused
on water, sanitation and energy concerns
- Reducing the levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
- More efficient and sustainable water management
- Using simple technologies to improve
water and energy resources management
- Minimizing groundwater extraction and recharging it
with rainwater
- Soil and water conservation
- Tapping personal and social capacities:
simplified lifestyle,
technical and organizational self-sufficiency
- Undertake researches that build upon indigenous knowledge
pertaining to the provision and maintenance of energy
systems for remote rural islands.

21. Salamat po!
(Thank you!)
PCWS