Barangay Alejal of Carmen in Davao del Norte got more than what it bargained for – purified drinking water for its 550 families.
Instead of merely getting an ordinary water system as source of potable drinking water for its households, the barangay was able to acquire a water treatment facility, equipped with a multi-staged filtration system and reverse osmosis technology which is now distributing purified drinking water to some 55 tap stands all over the barangay.
Purified drinking water in the region is costly these days. A 350-ml bottle costs P10 or more at the market.
But, the Barangay Alejal Water and Sanitation Association, which was organized to manage the facility, is selling the priced commodity for only P15 per 5-gallon, thanks to the Local Governance and Rural Empowerment Projec (LGREP), initiated by the Davao Interated Development Program (DIDP) and funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Originally costing P3 million, the project’s cost was increased to P12 million when quality tests showed some mineral contents above allowable limit, hence requiring a water treatment unit.
Implemented through the collaboration of the provincial government, the project was inaugurated last September 22 by the governor himself and JICA representatives Shinichi Masuda and Shiho Akamatsu along with provincial board members.
