Integrated Water Resources Management in the Philippines

Developing a national framework and guidelines for river basin planning under the IWRM approach

Technical assistance “Establishing Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) Planning Tools and Guidance; and Capacity Building in the Philippines” strengthened the capacity of national level institutions in planning for Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), supporting the development of operational guidance, an institutional framework, and training tools to embed IWRM approaches across the Philippines.

The Philippines has more than 400 river basins, including 18 major basins that are key drivers of economic development. Growing demand for water, coupled with increasing droughts and floods, degradation of river basins, and climate change, has intensified competition among the many uses of water, including irrigation, hydropower, urban water supply, fisheries, and the environment. Given the archipelagic nature and decentralized government structure of the country, a strong, consistent planning framework based on IWRM principles was identified as a national priority.

The technical assistance supported the development of operational guidance for completing and implementing IWRM planning in the Philippines, together with an institutional framework able to support IWRM approaches over the longer term, including through engagement with academic institutions. Training of trainers modules were developed and delivered, and learning by doing was facilitated by working directly with local institutions and relevant agencies to apply IWRM approaches in pilot locations, both at the planning stage and during implementation.

A framework of analysis was developed to guide planners and stakeholders in preparing strategic IWRM plans, structured around five sequential steps, inception, situation analysis, strategy building, action planning, and implementation, with a feedback loop from implementation back to inception to reflect the spiral character of IWRM. Twenty-two River Basin plans were reviewed against an adapted water security assessment framework developed specifically for the Philippines, and practical guidance and planning tools were produced to support water security, IWRM planning, and sustainable investment decisions.

Local capacity was built through a participatory approach that ensured engagement with major stakeholders in the planning process, while adaptive plans were developed to allow water resources management to evolve in response to changing needs and the specific conditions of each river basin. Unlike a traditional project by project master planning approach, the framework introduced an adaptive management dimension, recognizing the long-term uncertainties involved in socioeconomic development and climate change, and encouraging early implementation of no regret and low regret investments. The resulting framework has also informed water resources planning in projects beyond the Philippines, including in Myanmar and Manila Bay, and has drawn interest from other countries seeking to apply similar approaches, including India.

The project contributed to strengthening evidence-based river basin planning by:

• Developing operational guidance and an institutional framework for implementing IWRM planning at the national level.
• Reviewing 22 River Basin plans against an adapted water security assessment framework developed for the Philippines.
• Developing and delivering training of trainers’ modules to build long term local capacity.
• Supporting learning by doing through pilot applications of IWRM approaches with local institutions, both at the planning stage and in implementation.
• Building local capacity through a participatory approach that engaged major stakeholders across the planning process.
• Introducing an adaptive, long term planning horizon that accounts for climate and socioeconomic uncertainty in investment decisions.