IGUIG,
CAGAYAN - The residents of barangay Santa Barbara in Iguig town, province of
Cagayan are the recipients of another major project, a Potable Water System
(Level II) with a project cost of Php3,709,000.00 funded under the Department
of Agrarian Reform –Infrastructure Support Project (DAR-ARISP).
The completed Santa Barbara Potable
Water System consists of an elevated steel tank with a capacity of 22 cu.m.,
1.845 linear meters distribution lines and 150 linear meters depth (deep well),
7.5 horsepower submersible pump. It will serve around 1,458 people consisting
of 216 households.
The project was turned-over last
December 10, 2013 by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) represented by
Atty. Marjorie P. Ayson in favor of the Local Government Unit of Iguig
(LGU-Iguig) represented by Mayor Juditas L. Trinidad.
Potable water (or drinking water) is
water that is safe enough to be consumed by humans or used with low risk of
immediate or long term harm. Previously, most of the residents of the Santa
Barbara Agrarian Reform Community (Santa Barbara ARC) have inadequate access to
potable water and are constrained to use sources of water that are often contaminated
with disease-carrying organisms or have unacceptable levels of toxins which
often cause acute and chronic illnesses and misery due to additional burden and
additional expenses for medical services and medicines.
In the developing world such as the
Philippines, deaths occur from diarrhea in children under 5 years old. This is
aggravated by malnutrition which can decrease the children's resistance to
infections, including water-related diarrheal diseases.
The provision of the Level PWS project
is aimed at reducing water-borne diseases in the community, in addition to
providing water for backyard livelihood opportunities such as vegetable
production and other similar activities. /christiandsales
