LACK of potable water is now the main concern of residents of Barangay Santo Niño, in Malabuyoc town, after landslides destroyed water pipes, cutting off their water supply.
Barangay Captain Erlinda Piedad said there had been no water supply in the barangay for the past three days.
Malabuyoc is among the seven towns greatly affected by Tropical Storm Agaton which hit southern Cebu on New Year.
“Wala gihapon mi tubig diri. Mangayo pa mi og tubig sa pikas lungsod,” she said.
(We still don’t have the water supply. We have to ask water from the next town.)
The village chief said Rep. Peter John Calderon sent water to the barangay but it was not potable.
“Ang tubig gihatag kay amo lang gamiton para hugas o panlaba. Dili siya mainom kay medyo lubog siya,” she said.
(The water that they provided can only be used for washing and laundry. It is not suitable for drinking because it is a little murky).
Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (PDRRMO) head Baltazar Tribunalo said local government units are still assessing damage to infrastructure, agriculture and water supply.
“They are still exploring other sources and at the same time assessing how many pipes need to be replaced, as most of these were washed away during the flooding,” he said in a text message.
Tribunalo said debris from the landslides have been cleared and many evacuees have returned to their homes.
“They are trying their best to recover the system soon,” he added.
Meanwhile, Piedad said Barangay Santo Niño received five sacks of rice and cans of sardines from Governor Hilario Davide III who visited the area last Wednesday.
She said they divided the rice and allotted three kilos for every family and gave them five cans of sardines.
The family of Richie Pimentel who slipped and fell to his death, was given a sack of rice. Pimentel was the family’s breadwinner. The village chief said the assistance coming in from the provincial government is not enough. The barangay also cannot use its calamity funds to help the residents because there has been no declaration of a state of calamity.
“Dili mi kahilabot sa fund sa barangay kay wala may (We are not authorized to use the money of the barangay because there was no) declaration,” she said.