Coping Strategies of Households in Bulaklakan, Lipa City During Water Shortages: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Water shortages continue to challenge many communities in the Philippines, including Barangay Bulaklakan in Lipa City, where households frequently experience unreliable water supply, environmental fluctuations, and increasing demand. This study explored the causes of water shortages, the coping strategies used by households, and the effects of these shortages on their daily routines, sanitation, and well-being. Using a descriptive qualitative research design, ten households responsible for managing water use were purposely selected and interviewed through validated open-ended questions. The responses were transcribed and analyzed using Thematic Analysis to identify patterns and major themes. The findings reveal that water scarcity stems from environmental factors, infrastructural conditions, population growth, and unsustainable water use. Households cope by storing water in containers, harvesting rainwater, reducing usage, reusing water for multiple tasks, sharing with neighbors, and relying on alternative sources such as purchased water, public faucets, deep wells, or natural springs. However, these alternatives often require added time, cost, or physical effort. Water shortages significantly affect daily tasks such as cooking, bathing, cleaning, and laundry, resulting in compromised hygiene, increased expenses, physical fatigue, and emotional stress. Overall, the study highlights the multidimensional impact of water scarcity on households and underscores the need for improved community collaboration, strengthened water management practices, and future research that further examines resilience and long-term coping mechanisms.

Introduction

Water is essential for human life, public health, agriculture, and economic development. Despite being an archipelagic nation, the Philippines faces significant water scarcity due to population growth, urbanization, pollution, deforestation, and climate change, including recurring droughts from El Niño. Per capita water availability has dropped below the water stress threshold, affecting households’ sanitation, hygiene, and daily routines. In areas like Barangay Bulaklakan, Lipa City, residents experience recurring water supply interruptions, forcing them to adapt through coping strategies.

The main causes of water shortages identified by households include:

• High demand: Many households using water simultaneously.

• Environmental factors: Dry seasons, rainfall variability, and pollution.

• Infrastructure issues: Weak water pressure, poorly placed or insufficient pipes, and inadequate management by water vendors.

Households cope with shortages through:

• Water collection and storage: Using drums, tanks, buckets, and sometimes rainwater harvesting.

• Water conservation: Reusing rinse water and prioritizing essential uses.

• Alternative sources: Purchasing water or accessing public facilities, and sharing with neighbors.

These strategies reflect households’ adaptability but are often short-term solutions, highlighting the need for sustainable water management interventions. The study aims to explore these coping mechanisms through qualitative interviews, providing insights into community resilience and informing local policy on water governance.

Conclusion

Based on the findings of the study, the following conclusions were established: 1) The causes of water shortages include infrastructure conditions, environmental factors, population growth, and unsustainable use of water resources; remedying these usually requires integrated solutions that can ensure reliable access to clean water 2) Water shortage is mainly dealt with at the community level by storing water in various containers, harvesting rainwater, sharing with neighbors, and at times buying water from town when all supplies are depleted. 3) Water conservation approaches limit the amount of usage by carefully scheduling, reusing water for as many purposes as possible, having shorter or less frequent baths, and performing daily tasks at times when the least amount of water is wasted. 4) The findings indicate that during scarcity, households rely on various alternative water sources, such as buying from vendors, fetching water from deep wells or public sources, and borrowing from neighbors. Other families rely on stored water or, in a few instances, rainwater collections or natural spring water. These alternatives, however, often require extra effort, time, or cost, indicating that alternative sources are not always accessible or convenient. In fact, one respondent identified having no alternatives at all, which represents the extreme vulnerability of some households during severe scarcity. Overall, the data show that even as families make use of different water sources to cope, many of these methods include added burdens that reflect ongoing concerns in securing reliable water supply. 5) The results show that water shortages significantly affect households in terms of using water for cooking, bathing, cleaning, and washing clothes by forcing families to limit the use of water and adjust their daily routines. Many reported that poor hygiene becomes a big problem, sometimes causing discomfort or minor skin irritations due to insufficient water for bathing and cleaning. Water shortages increase the time, effort, and expenses made to acquire water, especially when families are bound to get or buy it outside. Some also mentioned risks of stored water becoming unsafe as adding to the problems. Overall, water shortages disrupt everyday living and hygiene and add to the stress experienced by households as they resort to coping strategies like water control and modifying cleaning and bathing schedules.

References

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Copyright

Copyright © 2025 Almar M. Razon, Jhonna Marie D. Ricafort, Faith I. Rosita, Jhade Rhosset E. Salvador, Redgie P. Sangalang, Jyro O. Setenta, Ronan Eivenn D. Torrano. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.