CLEAN WATER FOR CEBUANOS. The what once typhoon-stricken municipality of Alegria in the province of Cebu will soon be experiencing clean water upon the completion of the Potable Water System project under the Department of Agriculture – Philippine Rural Development Project. Present during the groundbreaking activity include Cebu Provincial Governor Hilario Davide III, with DA-7 Regional Executive Director/ PRDP Regional Project Coordination Office – 7 (RPCO) Project Director Atty. Salvador Diputado; DA-7 Regional Technical Director for Operations/ PRDP RPCO7 Focal person Marina Hermoso, and Alegria Municipal Mayor Verna Magallon.
Typhoid-stricken municipality in Cebu gets clean water through PRDP
More and more Filipinos are experiencing the impacts of the Department of Agriculture – Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP).
Just recently, a groundbreaking activity was held for Alegria, Cebu – the province’s first potable water system (PWS) under PRDP worth P95 million.
The Municipality of Alegria was hit by typhoid fever outbreak in 2007, 2010, 2011 and 2012 due to improper waste disposal and unsafe water according to data provided by the Cebu Provincial Health Office.
Looking back, Henry Lerio became cautious of his water intake when he got diagnosed of typhoon fever in 2009.
Since then, Lerio would allot at least P750 per week for 30 bottles of purified drinking water to ensure clean water supply.
“Bahala gasto kada adlaw masiguro lang nga luwas ang tubig imnon” said Lerio.
(My expenses for safe drinking water would shoot up, but I won’t compromise our health.)
Change has come indeed.
Through PRDP, it is projected that 90% of Alegria’s total population will directly benefit from the installation of the PWS including the following barangays: Montpeller; Guadalupe; Madredejos; Poblacion; Valencia; Compostela; Sta. Filomena, and Legaspi
In a span of 27 years, water accessibility has been a challenge for Reneria Cardona, a farmer of Sitio Tonggo, Sta. Filomena. According to her, she would walk for four hours every day to and from their house just to fetch water at a distant well,
Looking back, she expressed how tiring it was to take a single water container for her family with 11 children.
“Tiempo nga mugamit na mi, naa jud panahon nga mahutdan mi sa tubigu nya usahay dili na mi makainom.” Cardona said.
(“There are times that we would run out of water and couldn’t have a single drink,” Cardona said.)
Reneria Cardona long hopes for easy access to water, especially for her children’s future.
Alegria’s current water system is already 50 years old, thus, it is dilapidated and needs pipe replacement, said municipal administrator Wilfredo Listones.
“With the project, Alegria will not only have clean potable water but also access to improved water services, ” he added.
Once groundwork commences, water will flow through the three (3) mounted reservoirs going to the 336 Tap Stands who will then distribute water to 3, 197 households in Alegria.
This will increase farm yield as the time consuming fetching of water will be reduced and more time will be devoted to farming, Listones added. (Bexmae P. Jumao-as, RPCO 7, Writer)
