Solar-powered water system provides lifeline for upland communities in Albay

The first of 71 solar powered water system facilities in Bicol is now operational in Albay, providing clean and potable water to upland villages in Legazpi City.

The P9.98-million ($205,271) facility is part of the P200-million ($4.11-million) water system project of party-list group Ako Bicol funded under the General Appropriations Act of 2020.

Ako Bicol Representative Elizaldy Co said they were able to proceed with the implementation of the projects after the national government released the budget.

“This is already part of the P200 million water system projects we promised in 2019 that we will provide water. This is supposed to be last year but was delayed as the budget was put on hold by the government due to pandemic. But after we were given a go signal, we proceeded with the water system projects. This is part of the 71 sites of solar powered water system facilities across the Bicol region,” Co told Rappler.  

“The solar panel is good for 25 years. This is the first solar-powered water system facility in Bicol specifically in Albay with 3 stages of filtration to ensure that it is safe. You now have mineral water. We will also replicate this in other provinces of Bicol,” he added.

According to the Department of Public Works and Highways, each water system has 8 solar panels. It can generate an average of 10,500 liters per second and can fill up the water tank in 3 to 4 hours. It has 3 stages of filtration.

In June 2019, Rappler reported about how residents of San Miguel and neighboring island of Cagraray endured 7 months without water because almost all its water wells had dried up due to erratic weather conditions. They had to take a boat ride to another island before dawn for their water supply.

The new water system will benefit 969 families in Barangay Imalnod, the Banquerohan resettlement site, and the Zone resettlement area; and 2,018 students of Banquerohan High School. 

The families at the Banquerohan resettlement site came from the villages of Bonga, Mabinit, Matanag, Buyuan, and Padang. They were displaced by the Mayon volcano eruptions, as well as Typhoon Reming (Durian) in 2006.

Co stressed the importance of the project. “Water is life…. We cannot survive in a day without water. Water is vital for our survival specifically that we are in the middle of the pandemic. You don’t need to walk for a kilometer or so to get water because you have now purified clean water powered by solar [energy],” he said.

Co urged the beneficiaries “to take care of and protect this project so that it will last.” Co said the solar panels are expected to be good for 25 years.

The lawmaker said most water facilities to be set up in Bicol would be in Albay and Camarines Sur.

Ako Bicol Representative Alfredo Garbin Jr, who was also at the inauguration event, said they initiated the project because of the public clamor. 

“It is a basic human right for people to have access to water and for good sanitation. These are essentials to the realization of all human rights. Based on the UN, access to clean safe potable water is not yet provided totally to the public. So, this is our priority,” Garbin said.

Based on the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, 187,673 people in Bicol do not have safe drinking water, and that more than 5 million Bicolanos get water from dug wells.

In Bicol, the provinces of Masbate, Camarines Sur, and Albay have the highest number of households without access to safe drinking water. – Rappler.com