I.

WATER SHORTAGE & SANITATION CRISIS

HISTORY

MANILA, Philippines – Half of Filipino households, as of 2011, did not try to make their drinking water
safe, according to the latest National Nutrition Survey (NNS).

Not everyone has access to proper sanitation and hygiene. This can impact on individual health, and in
the long-run, the country’s overall productivity.

Providing better water systems can help “improve socio-economic, health and nutrition status of
households,” the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) advised.

Every 21 seconds, a child dies globally from water-related illnesses, international non-profit organization
Water.org estimated. This is mostly due to water contaminated by fecal matter – because many families
still lack toilets.

Causes of water shortage

1. Pollution

Pollution is a major cause of water shortage. Water is polluted when industrial wastes are deposited
into water bodies thus making it unfit for human consumption. Oil spillage and fecal matter also makes
the water contaminated. It cannot be used for drinking. This makes it scarce.

2. Overuse of Water

When water is overused, shortage occurs. Some people use too much water especially for irrigation
purposes. It therefore becomes inadequate for other equally important uses.

3. Water Wastage

Wastage of water is also a major cause of water shortage. Some people leave their taps running even
when they are not fetching water. All this is lost to the ground. The resultant problem is lack of enough
water.
4. Drought

When drought strikes an area, there is usually no rain for a long period of time. This makes rivers to dry.
Other water sources such as streams, ponds, e.t.c also dry up. People therefore do not have enough
water for domestic and industrial use.

6. Distance

In some areas especially arid regions, people stay far away from oasis and other sources of water like
boreholes. Traveling there takes a lot of time. It is also a burden to carry water from such distant places
to homes. This discourages them from going to fetch water. The result is water shortage.

7. Restriction by Governments

Some governments especially those that govern by dictatorship may restrict citizens from accessing
certain water sources.

8. Destruction of Water Catchment Areas

Water catchment areas such as forests are continually being destroyed through deforestation to pave
way for human settlement. This problem has been brought about by rapid population increase. As a
result, there is not enough rain thus causing water shortage.

What Are the Effects of Water Shortage?

A lack of water affects more than just physical health. Let’s see how drought can affect us in other ways.

– Lack of adequate drinking wate

Water is important to our health. When there is shortage, people lack enough clean water to drink.

– Lack of education

When there is water shortage in an area, children often abandon school to help their parents look for
water. Some of them grow too weak to go to school.

– Hunger

Water shortage makes it difficult to grow crops especially in dry areas that depend on irrigation. When
crops are not planted, there won’t be enough food for people.

– Diseases and Parasites

Water is used for different domestic purposes including bathing. When there is shortage, people may
not bath. Their bodies will be dirty hence susceptible to infection by diseases and attack by parasites.

– Sanitation Problems

Lack of enough water makes cleaning of dishes, clothes and other household items difficult. They will
remain dirty and unhygienic. This will have a negative effect on the health of an individual.

SOLUTIONS
– People should be educated on the benefits of conserving water.

– Laws should be enacted to prevent water pollution. Those found polluting water should pay a fine or
face imprisonment.
– People should be encouraged to recycle rain water.

– Farmers should be encouraged to adopt farming practices that use less water.

– Water catchment areas should be preserved.

– People should contribute funds to support clean water initiatives especially in areas that face water
shortage.

II. Poverty Problem

Poverty in the Philippines is one of the most serious problems that the government must deal with. in
relation to its nature, poverty in the Philippines arose from the rapid population growth in the country.

The effects of it are very visible in nature. Poverty causes many Filipinos to not pursue their education.
Others seem to be contented of their lives as poor. While others seem to work by labor, the economy of
the country is also affected in such a way that the economic activities are too domestic in nature, and
decreasing the country's ability to make a way to international economics. However, many foreign
investors are helping domestic laborers in terms of providing jobs locally.

Poverty also affects the daily lives of the Filipinos. As much as many Filipinos depend on luck, it is
triggered by their low-lifestyle favors. In the end, they spend too much on luxury and not on the basic
needs.

The nutrition of many children in the Philippines is greatly affected by poverty. People living beside
polluted places are affected by their improper hygiene and urban dwellers are even more affected by
their insufficient intake of healthy foods.

Although poverty is in a great level subjective to Filipinos, it does not account that only poor urban
dwellers are affected by poverty. Even though the quality of life of the poor in most provinces is
healthier and assured than poor urban dwellers, the government should not focus only on urban
poverty. In the mere sense, the government should do beyond what it can do to improve the quality of
life in the Philippines.
Causes of Poverty in the Philippines:
1. Corruption.

One of the big factors that contributes to poverty in Philippines is corruption, a problem that doesn’t
seem to end. Because of these corruptions, funds are getting short for health, education,
agriculture, and other important matters.

2. Lack of Education.

What would you expect? A corrupt leader wants his people to be ignorant so that no one will make
any move against him and his corrupt acts. They will not expedite things that are related to
developing the education system in our country.

3. Unemployment
is a phenomenon that occurs when a person who is actively searching for employment is unable to
find work. Unemployment is often used as a measure of the health of the economy.

4. Lack of Discipline.
Without discipline, you cannot attain something significant. Through discipline, plans are executed
properly, consistent, and organized to achieve whatever goals that you want in your life. Lack of
discipline is one of the big causes of poverty in the Philippines.
5. low growth elasticity of poverty reduction;
6. weakness in employment generation and the quality of jobs generated;
7. failure to fully develop the agriculture sector;
8. high inflation during crisis periods;
9. high levels of population growth;
10. high and persistent levels of inequality (incomes and assets), which dampen the positive impacts of
economic expansion; and
11. recurrent shocks and exposure to risks such as economic crisis, conflicts, natural disasters,and
"environmental poverty."

Effect
 Malnutrition

The hunger situation is alarming. The National Statistical Coordination Board stated that more than 11
million Filipinos were considered food-poor or living below subsistence level in 2003.

The Food and Agricultural Organization in 2005 reported that there were more than 17 million
undernourished Filipinos.

 Bad living conditions

Because of poverty, many families are forced to occupy public and private lands without the right to do
so. And, because this land is not theirs, it tends to overcrowd. Because of overcrowding, the
environment usually becomes unsanitary and heightens the chances that disease will spread. Also, their
houses are close together/connected to each other, this makes it easy for fire to spread and giving fire
fighters a hard time to extinguish the flames due to the small roads between these houses.

 Crime/ Theft

Due to the hardships in life caused by poverty, many people can’t even get enough money to live. This
causes them to do whatever it takes to be able to sustain their and their family’s need even when it
involves stealing. The researchers observed that the major reason for theft is poverty. Because of
poverty, the thieves need to steal to be able to live.
  Economic growth did not translate into poverty reduction in recent years;
 Poverty levels vary greatly by regions;
 Poverty remains a mainly rural phenomenon though urban poverty is on the rise;
 Poverty levels are strongly linked to educational attainment;
 The poor have large families, with six or more members;
 Many Filipino households remain vulnerable to shocks and risks;
 Governance and institutional constraints remain in the poverty response;
 There is weak local government capacity for implementing poverty reduction programs;
 Deficient targeting in various poverty programs;
 There are serious resource gaps for poverty reduction and the attainment of the MDGs by 2015;
 Multidimensional responses to poverty reduction are needed; and
 Further research on chronic poverty is needed

SOLUTIONS
They must control graft and corruption on the government; politics are so high that affects the good
flow of services.

- Government establishment must improve their services and they must stop turning such into
privatization, it will affect the source of income of the government.

- They must improve the tax collection and they must chase those tax evaders.

- They must improve the quality of education in the country; there are some remote areas that didn't
avail good school facilities, books, programs and services.

- They must get rid the contractual forms of hiring; so that people will avail great benefits and regular
jobs, some company prefer to hire younger applicants.

- Population control, some families are not totally aware what birth control means.

- Road access / infrastructure programs, there are some places that traveling along the road is hard to
do.

- Agricultural programs, government have no regular agenda to improve agricultural services in the
country.

III. HEAVY TRAFFIC

Traffic is defined as the passage of people or vehicles along routes of transportation. It may consist of
pedestrians, ridden or herded animals, vehicles, streetcars, and other conveyances, either singly or
together, while using the public ways for travel. People use public roads to travel from one place to
another as they are engaged in daily activities such as work and school. It may be done through walking,
driving, or riding public transports to reach certain destinations. Roads are built to deliver goods,
products, and services with ease. Efficiency of man‘s daily activities such as business, trade, and
commerce, relies mainly on roads which link places and landmarks making them accessible to the
populace. Productivity of industries also depends on the efficiency of transportation. But the reliability
and efficiency of travel is affected by this so called Traffic Jam‘which is evidently worsened annually thus
resulting to a horrible traffic condition in the country specifically in Metro Manila. Traffic congestion,
colloquially coined as Traffic jam is a condition on road networks that occurs as use increases, and is
characterized by slower speeds, longer trip times, and increased vehicular queuing.

CAUSES
Infrastructure problems

One of the primary causes of traffic density within Metro Manila is the current transportation
infrastructure. Overall, there is a lack of quality infrastructure thus insufficient modes of mobility

Urban planning problems

The layout of Metro Manila lacks holistic and intrinsic planning from the ground up. The poor design did
not account for the density of the city or the eventual propensity to vehicles.

Traffic congestion

The traffic volume within the metropolis already exceeds the capacities of existing roads. The urban
planning failed to bring into fruition a public transport system that could function in the dense, compact
city of Metro Manila.

Public transportation system

The main modes of public transport in the Philippines are jeepneys, buses, taxis, trains and tricycles, all
of which are readily available in Metro Manila

High population and vehicle density

Road accidents

EFFECTS
Wasting of time

The time spent in traffic can be considered as unproductive or generally, a waste of time. The concept of
opportunity cost comes into play especially for people who have other places to be instead of being
stuck in traffic.

Delays

The traffic congestion in highly urbanized cities can be a huge detriment in terms of the delivery of
goods from once place to another, leading to the loss of trust between parties who rely heavily on these
daily deliveries for the benefit of their own businesses. Essentially, it may lead to situations such as: late
arrival for work, important meetings, and school, which may result in lost business, disciplinary action or
other personal losses.

Frustrated Drivers

The most commonly known effect of heavy traffic congestion would be in the form of “Road Rage”.
Road Rage is the aggressive behavior of an automobile driver which includes rude gestures, verbal
insults and deliberate reckless driving that may endanger the lives of both the drivers and the people
surrounding them.

Damaged Vehicles

The depreciation on vehicles as a result of staying still in traffic and the often use of acceleration and
brakes, eventually resulting into more repairs or expenses in general.

Environmental effects

Aside from social and economic effects, traffic congestion also has massive effects on the environment,
specifically its contribution to air pollution.

SOLUTION
Truck Ban Ordinance

The truck ban is a scheme meant to address the perception that freight vehicles are the main culprits in
congesting Metro Manila roads.

Clearway Scheme
Promote uninterrupted flow along arterial roads
Meant to speed up congestion along clogged roads
Roadside Parking
Short or long term parking causes traffic delays by obstructing the inner lane. There should be no
roadside parking permitted on EDSA. This MUST be enforced vigorously to be effective.
Building of an overpass or a tunnel
Building of an efficient road system
- Building of a much more efficient transportation system, one which has roads not leading to one major
thoroughfare is greatly in need.
Reduction of bus stations and buses in EDSA –
Removal of these bus stations would really benefit EDSA, as the removal of one bus contributes to the
removal of two cars in the road.
Strict implementation of traffic laws –
MMDA's staff and officers already know the benefits of their traffic laws, people just needs to follow
them and their officers should just help implement their laws rather than wait for their supervisors to
watch them work.
IV. OVER POPULATION

Overpopulation is an undesirable condition where the number of existing human population exceeds
the carrying capacity of Earth. Overpopulation is caused by number of factors. Reduced mortality rate,
better medical facilities, depletion of precious resources are few of the causes which results in
overpopulation. It is possible for a sparsely populated area to become densely populated if it is not able
to sustain life.

Growing advances in technology with each coming year has affected humanity in many ways. One of
these has been the ability to save lives and create better medical treatment for all. A direct result of this
has been increased lifespan and the growth of the population. In the past fifty or so years, the growth of
population has boomed and has turned into overpopulation. In the history of our species, the birth and
death rate have always been able to balance each and maintain a population growth rate that is
sustainable.

CAUSES OF OVERPOPULATION

Decline in the Death Rate: At the root of overpopulation is the difference between the overall birth rate
and death rate in populations. If the number of children born each year equals the number of adults
that die, then the population will stabilize. Talking about overpopulation shows that while there are
many factors that can increase the death rate for short periods of time, the ones that increase the birth
rate do so over a long period of time. The discovery of agriculture by our ancestors was one factor that
provided them with the ability to sustain their nutrition without hunting. This created the first
imbalance between the two rates.

Better Medical Facilities: Following this came the industrial revolution. Technological advancement was
perhaps the biggest reason why the balance has been permanently disturbed. Science was able to
produce better means of producing food, which allowed families to feed more mouths. Medical science
made many discoveries thanks to which they were able to defeat a whole range of diseases. Illnesses
that had claimed thousands of lives till now were cured because of the invention of vaccines. Combining
the increase in food supply with fewer means of mortality tipped the balance and became the starting
point of overpopulation.

More Hands to Overcome Poverty: However, when talking about overpopulation we should understand
that there is a psychological component as well. For thousands of years, a very small part of the
population had enough money to live in comfort. The rest faced poverty and would give birth to large
families to make up for the high infant mortality rate. Families that have been through poverty, natural
disasters or are simply in need of more hands to work are a major factor for overpopulation. As
compared to earlier times, most of these extra children survive and consume resources that are not
sufficient in nature.

Technological Advancement in Fertility Treatment: With latest technological advancement and more
discoveries in medical science, it has become possible for couple who are unable to conceive to undergo
fertility treatment methods and have their own babies. Today there are effective medicines which can
increases the chance of conception and lead to rise in birth rate. Moreover, due to modern techniques
pregnancies today are far more safer.

Immigration: Many people prefer to move to developed countries like US, UK, Canada and Australia
where best facilities are available in terms of medical, education, security and employment. The end
result is that those people settle over there and those places become overcrowded. Difference between
the number of people who are leaving the country and the number of people who enter narrows down
which leads to more demand for food, clothes, energy and homes. This gives rise to shortage of
resources. Though the overall population remains the same, it just affects the density of population
making that place simply overcrowded.

Lack of Family Planning: Most developing nations have large number of people who are illiterate, live
below the poverty line and have little or no knowledge about family planning. Getting their children
married at an early age increase the chances of producing more kids. Those people are unable to
understand the harmful effects of overpopulation and lack of quality education prompts them to avoid
family planning measures.

EFFECTS OF OVERPOPULATION
Depletion of Natural Resources: The effects of overpopulation are quite severe. The first of these is the
depletion of resources. The Earth can only produce a limited amount of water and food, which is falling
short of the current needs. Most of the environmental damage being seen in the last fifty odd years is
because of the growing number of people on the planet. They are cutting down forests, hunting wildlife
in a reckless manner, causing pollution and creating a host of problems. Those engaged in talking about
overpopulation have noticed that acts of violence and aggression outside of a war zone have increased
tremendously while competing for resources.

Degradation of Environment: With the overuse of coal, oil and natural gas, it has started producing
some serious effects on our environment. Rise in the number of vehicles and industries have badly
affected the quality of air. Rise in amount of CO2 emissions leads to global warming. Melting of polar ice
caps, changing climate patterns, rise in sea level are few of the consequences that we might we have to
face due to environment pollution.

Rise in Unemployment: When a country becomes overpopulated, it gives rise to unemployment as

there fewer jobs to support large number of people. Rise in unemployment gives rise to crime as people
will steal various items to feed their family and provide them basic amenities of life.
High Cost of Living: As difference between demand and supply continues to expand due to
overpopulation, it raises the prices of various commodities including food, shelter and healthcare. This
means that people have to pay more to survive and feed their families.

SOLUTIONS TO OVERPOPULATION
Better Education: One of the first measures is to implement policies reflecting social change. Educating
the masses helps them understand the need to have one or two children at the most. Similarly,
education plays a vital role in understanding latest technologies like CloudDesktopOnline that are
making huge waves in the world of computing. Families that are facing a hard life and choose to have
four or five children should be discouraged. Family planning and efficient birth control can help in
women making their own reproductive choices. Open dialogue on abortion and voluntary sterilization
should be seen when talking about overpopulation.

Making People Aware of Family Planning: As population of this world is growing at a rapid pace, raising
awareness among people regarding family planning and letting them know about serious after effects of
overpopulation can help curb population growth. One of the best way is to let them know about various
safe sex techniques and contraceptives methods available to avoid any unwanted pregnancy.

Tax Benefits or Concessions: Government of various countries might have to come with various policies
related to tax exemptions to curb overpopulation. One of them might be to waive of certain part of
income tax or lowering rates of income tax for those married couples who have single or two children.
As we humans are more inclined towards money, this may produce some positive results.

Knowledge of Sex Education: Imparting sex education to young kids at elementary level should be must.
Most parents feel shy in discussing such things with their kids which result in their children going out
and look out for such information on internet or discuss it with their peers. Mostly, the information is
incomplete which results in sexually active teenagers unaware of contraceptives and embarrassed to
seek information about same. It is therefore important for parents and teachers to shed their old
inhibitions and make their kids or students aware of solid sex education.

V. UNEMPLOYMENT
Unemployment is caused by many factors in a modern economy. It can be caused by rapid
technological change, willingness and perception of an employee, discrimination in the work
place based on race, color, religion, ethnicity, age and class
CAUSES
Discrimination
unequal treatment for someone specifically because of color, religion, age, and way of living.
Lack of Education(Illiteracy)
the condition of being unable to read or write.
Laid–off
being discharged due to law rate of budget of ascertain company.
Fired
removed from a certain position or job
Lack of job openings or opportunities
it is caused by low rate of job vacancy.
Increasing rate of Population
the population is increasing as a result thefinancial power of economy is getting low.

EFFECTS
Poverty
loss of money or loss of power to buy/have goods and services.
Low rate of Economy
as a result the economic power were going down, the shortage series made our country lost in line.
Expanding divisions in Society
Increasing the discrimination level on the community.
Increasing Illiteracy rate
cause by unavailable funds, lack of money andservices.
Crime rate level increased
an effect of illiteracy, crime is one of the mostpopular effect of unemployment nowadays .Examples of
this are snatching, smuggling,murder, kidnapping, drugs business and etc.

SOLUTIONS

Scholarships
For many poor children like the street children, children living in squatter’s area, and the other children
on the community.
More job openings
There must be more jobs
so that the economy can start to fulfill / stand. It’s help many people. Gives more opportunities.
Cheaper housing loans
House is one of the important things that family must be occupy. Cheaper H. loans help us to save more
and have a normal life.
Free training for Enteprenuership
training wherein you are learning to make a business someday, and it’s give extra-conditional
experience.
Fair Treatment among employees
this would help for the motivation of the employees.
VI.