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  1. Background of the Problem

Water is a basic need and according to the United Nations access to it is also a human right. It is an essential part of daily life and in maintaining good health. Safe water is utilized by humans through sanitation, food production, and hydration. Unsafe drinking water can lead to so many serious health conditions and even death. Every year many people, most especially children, suffer from dehydration and electrolyte imbalances caused by diarrheal diseases. It might be an easily preventable problem, but still many people are seriously affected by this especially those living in poverty-stricken communities where water is considered a luxury. In these areas, water sources are usually communal or public and there is no purification method used for drinking water.

In Barangay Maras, there are a couple of different water sources used by the residents and most of them are communal and are not yet confirmed to be potable.  The households situated near the highway get their drinking water from a dug wells with hand pump and a few would buy from the nearby water-refilling station. Some households are connected to the piped spring water system established by the Local Officials but the water is rationed and still limited. Along the highway, an average of 25-30 households share 1 water source. In the areas far from the main road, drinking water is taken from an open dug well or a protected spring. Purok Waling-Waling is the only purok that has no water source of its own and people would walk in distances even as far as 200 meters through dense grasslands and narrow roads on top of cliffs just to get water.  In terms of water storage and purification, the residents utilize covered containers, which most of them clean regularly, but not all purify their drinking water.

  1. Solution

To manage these problems, approaches must be focused on changing the negative practices of the community, mobilize the people, and utilize available resources to improve the situation of the water sources.

  1. Sustainability

Community involvement is the best way to ascertain sustainability of the programs that will be implemented. All throughout the process, from the identification of the problem up to the evaluation of results, the people must be actively involved to instill the sense of ownership and cooperation in them. The local leaders must also be empowered so that they will be motivated to guide the people effectively and provide independent decisions in managing the projects.

unsafe drinking water update

APRIL 2021 IMPLEMENTATION

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            According to an article by water.org, nearly 5 million Filipinos rely on unsafe and unsustainablewater sources. Although 91% of the country’s population have access to at least basic water services, it is highly inequitable with regional basic water services ranging from 62-100%. Barangay Maras is one of the many rural communities in the Philippines that have poor access to safe drinking water. Majority of the households acquire the water that they use for dinking and other activities from high risk sources because of factors such as accessibility, lack of
knowledge, and low socioeconomic status. Because of this, improving the quality of drinking
water in the barangay has been one of the targets of the group as well as the community.


            But during the first quarter of the year 2020 the Philippines, along with many other countries, was hit by the pandemic. Many lives were lost and the way of living was changed. Millions of people were navigating through the COVID-19 pandemic and access to safe drinking water has never been more critical to the health of families and communities. But due to the health
protocols and travel restrictions, the group was not able to go back to the barangay and the
implementation of programs was greatly affected.


               Previous activities were revised and new strategies were added to make sure that the programs can still be safely implemented and would follow the health protocols and guidelines. To ensure the continuation of the activities without compromising the health of the residents, Information Campaigns were prioritized among other activities. The group organized an online meeting with the barangay council and health workers to assess the present status of the barangay and to plan for new strategies. Once the contact persons were assigned and the proposed date of activities was set, the group proceeded with the printing of IEC materials and health boards and the recording of video lectures. 60 pamphlets and 1 health board on water sanitation were prepared and sent to Barangay Maras via bus along with the IEC materials and supplies for the other programs. Constant communication was maintained between the group and the NDP Nurse and Barangay Health Workers (BHW) for updates and to ensure the smooth implementation of activities. The pamphlets were distributed by purok last April 27, 2021 with the help of the BHWs and purok volunteers. The sanitation health board, in partnership with the Solid Waste Management Program, was also established at the Barangay Health Station last April 28, 2021. The bulletin displays updates on the Safe Drinking Water Program and much information about waterborne diseases and water purification practices.


                 All of the aforementioned activities were conducted with strict compliance to DOH and IATF guidelines. The recorded data and documentation taken by the contact person in the barangay were sent to the program head immediately after each activity. 

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         This just proves that cooperation is indeed powerful. All planned activities were accomplished successfully through the joint effort of the medical students, barangay leaders, health workers, and the residents. Even when faced with a lot of difficulties, a community can accomplish anything if they just work together.

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April 2021 Accomplishments:

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  • Distribution of IEC materials

  • Maras Sanitation Board construction

 

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Upcoming Activities:

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  • Following the protocols of social distancing, wearing of face masks, disinfection, and limiting movement to only essentials in the context of COVID-19 New Normal Setting, the following upcoming activities are as follows:

    • Information Campaign

      • Distribution of pamphlets and IEC materials    

      • Continuation of Purok-to-Purok assembly

      • Conduct a seminar on water sanitation and the proper methods of water purification

      • Setting-up of posters in public places about proper handling of drinking water

    • Rehabilitation of water sources

    • Coordinate with the LGU and Barangay Officials to discuss budget allocation for water analysis and source rehabilitation of “high-risk” water sources

    • Establish potability of water through bacteriologic testing.

    • Tap NGOs for material and financial aid

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