DAR provides safe water to North Cotabato residents

The community-managed potable water sanitation and hygiene (CPWASH) project was turned over by the DAR in Barangay Kitubod to address the community’s concerns on water supply, sanitation, and hygiene.

Libungan, North Cotabato – The Department of Agrarian Reform recently turned over the Community-managed Potable Water Sanitation and Hygiene (CPWASH) project in Barangay Kitubod in this town to address the community’s concerns on water supply, sanitation, and hygiene.

Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer II Charish Paña said the project, amounting to Php160,000.00, is composed of biosand filter, biogas digester, and rainwater catcher with iron removal filter.

The community-managed potable water sanitation and hygiene (CPWASH) project was turned over by the DAR in Barangay Kitubod to address the community’s concerns on water supply, sanitation, and hygiene.

“The project provides low-cost, culturally acceptable, and appropriate technologies to address problems on poor access to potable water supply like here in Barangay Kitubod,” Paña said.

Paña added that through this project, the department is anticipating a positive change in the lives of the residents and improvement of the community in the future.

“The said barangay is the farthest community of Libungan and CPWASH caused a great sigh of relief from the threat of acquiring water-borne diseases and illnesses to more than 600 individuals from 200 households,” she disclosed.

The biosand filter is made of a plastic container with carefully selected sand and gravel that serve as strainer of bacteria, iron, and other impurities which make the water safe to drink.

As part of the CPWASH project to Barangay Kitubod, the DAR also installed the rainwater collector and iron removal filter at Kitubod Elementary School providing 330 students and 13 teachers access to safe drinking water.

The DAR also trained 10 para-engineers in the community to facilitate the replication of the biosand filter and biogas digester.

Barangay Chairman Lucsim Ando thanked the DAR for bringing the CPWASH project to their barangay as they used to rely mainly on deep wells, hand pumps, and rainwater. These are not safe as drinking water, causing incidences of amoebiasis, typhoid fever, and other water-related illnesses but they still used them to survive their daily activities.

“Now, that we have the CPWASH technology, we will intensify the replication of these, especially the use of biosand filter so that every household will be assured of safe drinking water,” Ando said.

DAR nagkaloob ng mapagkukunan ng malinis na tubig sa mga residete ng North Cotabato

Libungan, North Cotabato – Nagkaloob kamakailan ang Department of Agrarian Reform ng Community-managed Potable Water Sanitation and Hygiene (CPWASH) project sa Barangay Kitubod sa nasabing bayan, upang matugunan ang problema nila sa mapagkukuhanan ng malinis at ligtas na inumin.

Ayon kay Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer II Charish Paña ang proyekto, na nagkakahalaga ng Php160,000, ay binubuo ng biosand filter, biogas digester, at rainwater catcher na may iron removal filter.

“Ang proyektong ito ay hindi magastos at may kaukulang teknolohiya upang matugunan ang problemang dulot ng kakulangan sa malinis at ligtas na tubig,” ani Paña.

Idinagdag pa niya na sa proyektong ito, ang ahensiya ay umaasa ng positibong pagbabago ng pamumuhay ng mga residente pagdating ng panahon.

“Ang nasabing barangay ang pinakamalayong komunidad sa Libungan at nakahinga ng maluwag ang mga 600 katao mula sa 200 kabahayan dahil ang CPWASH ay makapaglalayo sa kanila sa karamdamang dulot ng maruming tubig,” aniya.

Ang biosand filter ay gawa sa plastic container na binubuo ng piling-piling buhangin at graba upang masala ng husto ang mga dumi at maging malinis ang tubig na maari ng inumin.

Bilang bahagi ng CPWASH project sa Barangay Kitubod, ang DAR ay nagtayo ng rainwater collector at iron removal filter sa Kitubod Elementary Schoolna magbibigay sa 330 mag-aaral at 13 guro ng malinis na mapag-iinumang tubig.

Ang DAR ay nagsanay din ng 10 para-engineers sa komunidad upang gayahin ang pagsasagawa ng mga biosand filter at biogas digester.

Nagpasalamat naman si Barangay Chairman Lucsim Ando sa DAR dahil sa pagkakaloob ng CPWASH project sa kanilang barangay dahil sa nakalipas na panahon ang gamit lang nila ay mga balon, poso at tubig-ulan. Ito ay ligtas inumin at nakapagbibigay sa kanila ng amoebiasis, typhoid fever, at iba pang karamdaman subalit ginagamit pa rin nila ito dahil wala silang ibang mapagkukuhanan ng ng tubig sa pang-araw-araw nilang gagamitin.

“Ngayong mayroon na kaming teknolohiya ng CPWASH, pag-iigttingin namin ang replikasyon nito, lalo na ang paggamit ng biosand filter upang ang lahat ng kabahayan ay magkaroon ng litas na tubig-inumin,” ani Ando.