Bantayan’s Kinatarcan Island to get potable water, shelter
The Cebu provincial government has partnered with Manila Water Foundation (MWF), Inc. to put up a water project for the residents of Kinatarcan Island in Sta. Fe town, northern Cebu.
The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO), together with MWF, will conduct a community consultation in Kinatarcan on Feb. 5-7 for the project.
The group will discuss the environmentally appropriate method of accessing potable water in the island, said PDRRMO head Baltazar Tribunalo.
Lipayran Island of Bantayan town and Pilar town in Camotes Islands will also receive the same water project from the province and MWF.
In its risk assessment conducted on the island after the Supertyphoon Yolanda in November 2013, the PDRRMO found out that housing and water are major issues that confront the residents.
“Kinatarcan has no open source of water. Their sources of water are rainwater, underground water and saltwater,” Tribunalo said.
He said most residents collect rainwater for their daily use while a few desalinate saltwater.
They have wells to access underground waters but these easily dry up during the dry season, he added. The PDRRMO has also partnered with Caritas Switzerland for a 400-unit housing project in Kinatarcan.
On Feb. 1, PDRRMO and Caritas Switzerland will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for the first batch of houses.
Kinatarcan residents, assisted by PDRRMO, came up with the Kinatarcan Integrated Development Plan containing the results of their assessments on risks and hazards, environment, coastal and human resources.
“But these methods are rather expensive,” Tribunalo said.
Disclaimer: The comments uploaded on this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of management and owner of Cebudailynews. We reserve the right to exclude comments that we deem to be inconsistent with our editorial standards.
