Water Resource Management Practices of Food Establishments in Siquijor Province

Abstract

Water is one of the basic needs of human beings and is imperative for sustaining the quality of life on earth (Brooks, 2006). However, its unbalanced and unmanaged use makes its scarce. Hence, this study assessed the water resource management practices of the 53 food establishments in Siquijor Province. The study utilized the descriptive survey using a self- made questionnaire which yielded that majority of the respondents are females and are in the age brackets of 18-40 and 41-62. A greater majority of the establishments were in the operation for more than ten years. As to respondents’ water resource management practices, they Often do not let water flow while cleaning or rinsing, check the water supply system for leaks and turn off unnecessary flows, and adjust water flow by the type of cleaning to be undertaken, but they Never install self-closing faucets. However, reading water meter regularly, washing only full loads in the dishwasher, and installing low flush toilets were sometimes done while installing automatic water volume controls, reusing the rinse water from the dishwasher and installing flow regulators on the faucet heads were seldom practiced. The respondents’ sex, age and number of years in operating the business had no significant relationships to their extent of water resource management practices. Thus, it is concluded that better management coupled with effective policy, awareness and efficient system is vital to enhance water resource management.