indigenous peoples

Hydropanels to provide water for indigenous community in Palawan

Rappler.com

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Hydropanels to provide water for indigenous community in Palawan

Photo from SOURCE Global

The installation will benefit the Binta't Karis indigenous peoples of Barangay Iraan in the province's Rizal municipality

Water-producing hydropanels will be producing more than 40,000 liters of renewable drinking water each year for an indigenous community in Palawan.

The installation will benefit the Binta’t Karis indigenous peoples of Barangay Iraan in the province’s Rizal municipality, specifically about 100 students, teachers, and their families.    

The project is a collaboration between American nonprofit Conservation International, and the producers of the hydropanels, the US-based SOURCE Global, formerly known as Zero Mass Water. The two groups made the announcement,Wednesday, October 7.

As explained on SOURCE’s site, the panels are solar-powered. The heat is used to create condensation, and to power fans that draw in ambient air. The air is pushed through a water-absorbing material, trapping in water vapor “and passively condenses into liquid that is collected in the reservoir.” Minerals are also added to improve drinking quality.

Image from SOURCE Global website

According to the groups, the water produced by the hydropanels will “offset more than two million plastic water bottles, and will markedly  improve the health and quality of life for local residents” in the Palawan community.

The Palawan installation follows two other Conservation International and SOURCE hydropanel projects in Colombia and Timor Leste. The groups, in their press release, also credited climate-tech accelerator Elemental Excelerator for funding the grant, and the American and Philippine governments for supporting the project.  

Photo from SOURCE Global

The hydropanels debuted back in 2017.

“Remote locations – otherwise nearly impossible to serve – are where SOURCE Hydropanels shine; and this Palawan indigenous community now has renewable, cost-efficient, and clean drinking water that will  improve their lives,” said Cody Friesen, founder and CEO of SOURCE.

The first hydropanel installation in the Philippines was in 2018 at the ADB Building in Ortigas, Pasig. Other installations can be found in Seda Hotel in BGC, and Cobrador Island in Romblon. – Rappler.com

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