Officials of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the UK Government’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) on 4 March 2023 visited the $200,000 community-managed water supply system supported by ADB Urban Climate Change Resilience Trust Fund (ADB-UCCRTF)[1] in Janiuay, Province of Iloilo, Philippines.

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Barangay San Julian, a community with 1,453 people, is leading this resilience initiative. The ADB and FCDO team inspected and assessed the results of the community-led climate adaptation project, which is financed by the ADB-UCCRTF with financing from the Rockefeller Foundation and the Governments of Switzerland and the United Kingdom. 

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This community-led project (CLP) aims to strengthen the residents’ resilience to the impacts of climate change particularly on the water supply. It involves the establishment of a Community-Managed Level III Water System [2] and Rainwater Harvesting Facility to supplement the water supply resources in San Julian. The project identified and developed a suitable groundwater source to provide a reliable supply of water to the community. The rainwater harvesting facility collects rainwater during wet season and provides redundant source of water supply for the community. The CLP will reduce the impacts of climate change to the community by providing accessible and well-maintained water supply system, diversifying the community’s water sources and enabling water replenishment during the dry season.

The mission team was headed by Hong Soo Lee, ADB Senior Urban Specialist (Smart Cities), along with the ADB Philippine Country Office representative and the ADB-UCCRTF Secretariat, while the FCDO contingent was led by John Warburton, Head of Climate and Environment, Indo-Pacific Regional Department along with the members of the Climate Action for Resilient Asia (CARA) Program Team.