about us projects SANITATION join us! WASH coalition HWTS Network
 
   

Philippine Center for Water and Sanitation (PCWS) used to be known as International Training Network (ITN) when it started in 1990 as a project of the Netherlands-based Institute of Infrastructure, Hydraulics and Engineering (IHE).  It registered as a nongovernmental organization in 1998 as Philippine Center for Water and Sanitation -  The ITN Foundation and started supporting itself through its professional fees.  PCWS now undertakes advocacy work, researches, trainings and consultancies.  It also provides technical assistance to local governments, communities and NGOs. Engineers of PCWS work with communities in developing low cost water supply and sanitation technology options, thereby enhancing local initiatives leading to benefits in health and livelihood.

PCWS leads the WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) Philippines Coalition, a loose coalition of organizations, local governments, communities and individuals working with national and local policy makers as well as the poorest communities to improve access to WASH in areas of the Philippines most in need of them. WASH Philippines Coalition is a partner of the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (www.wsscc.org). 

 

Priority Programs/Projects

LOCAL WATCH

Low-cost alternative wastewater treatment for communities and households (LOCAL WATCH) is a sanitation system that includes toilets, biogas digester septic tank, baffled reactor, anaerobic filter, gravel filter and lotus/fish pond.  PCWS developed LOCAL WATCH in response to the fact that sanitation is lagging behind in the Philippines as it is not a priority of national and most local governments, NGOs, communities, etc. partly due to the belief that sanitation technologies like wastewater treatment systems are expensive and complicated.

Ensuring Access to Safe Water for Households in Communities Affected by Floods in the Philippines

PCWS and the World Health Organization, with support from the Spanish Government, are jointly implementing a project on promoting household water treatment and safe storage in Eastern Visayas and the Bicol Region, specifically in flood prone communities with outbreaks of water-borne diseases due to contamination of water sources.  The use of sodium hypochlorite 1.25% solution as a water disinfectant is being promoted to treat drinking water at point-of-use and to safely store the treated drinking water to protect households against waterborne diseases until more definite solutions can be achieved in communities with doubtful water sources.

Ferro-cement Houses with Wastewater Treatment and Rainwater Harvesting Systems

These are demonstration projects on how to build a ferro-cement house with low-cost wastewater treatment and rainwater harvesting systems.   They show that simple, low-cost technologies help conserve water, prevent pollution, and enable families to adapt to climate change.  The demonstration project also show that sanitation is neither expensive nor complicated and is achievable even in a difficult, congested, flood-prone urban environment or in isolated peri-urban and rural areas.  This project represents the cumulative learnings of PCWS from its field-based implementation experiences and its interactions with households and communities.  PCWS hopes that this demonstration projects could inspire the passing of enabling local and national policies for both human health and environmental protection.

Technical Assistance to Local Governments, NGOs and Communities on Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)

PCWS provides technical assistance to local governments, communities and NGOs to improve water supply, sanitation and hygiene. It also undertakes researches, trainings and consultancies in partnership with relevant organizations.

PCWS addresses the lack of knowledge, awareness and appreciation of low-cost sanitation technologies among policy makers.  It also encourages increased investments in sanitation and the development of enabling policies.  Local governments are called upon to include among their priorities the implementation of WASH projects.

Aside from responding to requests for technical assistance, PCWS presents low-cost appropriate alternatives to create positive changes. It addresses the need to make sanitation affordable to low-income households.  Expanding the range of water supply and sanitation systems presented to communities and households provide them with more options and information.

Action Researches with Households

PCWS continues to do researches with households on more appropriate designs of water supply, sanitation and hygiene systems and how these could be made more affordable to low-income families.  Even after the implementation of projects, the communities and households are encouraged to maintain consultative access to PCWS engineers, especially for those who have acquired skills in building their own and their community's water supply and sanitation systems.

Rainwater Harvesting Advocate

PCWS-ITNF and the WASH Coalition advocate for the building of low-cost rainwater harvesting tanks in public schools and offices in the Philippines.

 

 

KNOW MORE ABOUT THE WORK OF PCWS-ITNF

PCWS-ITNF brochure

Ferro-cement technology

Country Water Action - Philippines

 

 

  
Philippine Center for Water and Sanitation (PCWS)
Penthouse 3, Minnesota Mansion
267 Ermin Garcia Street, Cubao
1102 Quezon City, Philippines
Phone/Fax: (63)(2) 912-0531

pcwsitnf@gmail.com
www.itnphil.org.ph
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