Rainwater harvesting for the poorest in Bohol

Pablo Escaño, a resident of Brgy. Villa Milagrosa in Carlos P. Garcia (CPG) municipality in Bohol, recalls a time when because of scarce water supply, they had no choice but to cook rice with salt water. Despite the severity of the water problem in their community though, Escaño is still able to rib about the situation. “At least if we cooked rice with seawater, it would already have a taste,” he said.
His facial expression soon becomes livid though when he continued to describe other problematic instances arising from having poor water source. “During El Niño, the folks here used to fight over water. We would spend the night lining up just to get water. However, some ‘wise’ individuals would take advantage when you fall asleep while you’re in line,” Escaño shared as he cried foul at the cheats who refuse to wait for their turn to draw water.
In the island municipality of CPG in Bohol, water is indeed a major problem. According to the 2004 Local Poverty Reduction Action Program survey conducted by the local government unit and Provincial Planning and Development Office (PPDO), 1,454 out of 3,866 households in CPG do not have potable water. Being the poorest municipality in the province with very little infrastructure projects, only barangay-managed rainwater collectors installed in public buildings are the communities’ main source of water. A 20-liter container costs P1.00. When the barangay’s supply runs out, residents have to buy water from private suppliers at P5.00 per 20-liter container. They spend an average of P15 a day for their water requirements (for drinking, washing and bathing) quite a sum for a family that earns average of just P110 a day.
Aiming to solve this problem, Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines brings its Rainwater is Life program to CPG. Through the use of rainwater catchment system, the Foundation works with nature in order to provide safe water for communities. In particular, 21 rainwater harvesting tanks with a capacity of 20,000 liters each will be built across ten barangays in CPG. These will be used to collect rain and become the major water source of over 1,000 families in the locality.
This would include the family of Alma Columna.
As a mother, Columna shares her troubles when it comes to providing water for her four children. “It (lack of water supply) is costly for us parents because if we don’t have money for the children’s ‘ice water’ they would have nothing to drink,” Columna said. According to her, the average daily budget for ice water for every child runs between P3 to P5. That amounts to as much as P20 per day for water consumption alone. And her worrying does not end there. Columna said that even when she is able to provide the money for her kids’ water needs, she is still concerned that the water that her children might get their hands on is not safe and may cause them to get sick.
“Hopefully, with this water project that Coke is giving us, we can cut down our expenses on water and help us earn additional income,” she said stating that having a constant water source will also enable her to keep a backyard vegetable garden for her family’s consumption.
“It is ironic that the residents of this island municipality, surrounded by water, have no water to drink or bathe. The Coca-Cola global commitment to water stewardship includes supporting access to clean water and sanitation for communities. We are glad to help make this a reality in CPG. We are grateful to our partners, Globe Telecom and PLDT, main sponsors of the 2009 Coca-Cola Golf Classic, our fundraising tournament for the benefit of Rainwater is Life” said Coca-Cola Foundation President Cecile Alcantara.
The Rainwater is Life Program in Bohol was launched in Carlos P. Garcia last July 23, 2009. The launch began with the unveiling of a miniature replica of rainwater harvesting tank and the signing of memorandum of agreement. Mayor Tesalonica Boyboy and Vice-Mayor Nestor Abad led the launch with barangay officials Patricia Padillo, Gaudencio Gavas Jr. and Ernesta Boiser. Ric Torres, Mercedita Coca and Allyn Lopez of Peace and Equity Foundation and Msgr. Feliciano Nalzaro and Alvin Acuzar of BUSWACC (Bol-anon United Sectors Working for the Advancement of Community Concerns Inc.) were also in attendance to represent the local partners of the program. A short groundbreaking ceremony followed immediately and was held at Mayor Inocencio Mendez High School in Brgy. Villa Milagrosa.
Mayor Boyboy said, “This is one of the few times that a private foundation who wanted to help our town, which is the poorest in Bohol, was able to follow through on their commitment. Now that it’s here, I am so thankful because water is really a priority need here in our municipality.”
The mayor added, “This will help us to begin realizing our dreams. I hope that in the future we can build more.”