WATER EVERYWHERE BUT NONE TO DRINK Philippine typhoon survivors appeal for shelter, clean water, etc. Source: Thomson Reuters Foundation - Mon, 21 Jan 2013 02:44 PM According to the latest United Nations report on the disaster, adequate water supply, and sanitation and hygiene facilities “remains a continuing major concern” in many communities. A test of the only water source in Maca’s village showed the presence of E. coli (a type of bacteria commonly found in the intestines of animals and humans), said Virna Vallar, area manager for Davao Oriental for the Humanitarian Response Consortium, a group of local aid agencies working with Oxfam. This means the water may be contaminated but the villagers say they have no choice but to drink it. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Philippines Red Cross are working to meet the population’s water needs, especially as bad weather worsens the already precarious living and health conditions. They jointly set up water treatment plants in Cateel and Baganga, two of the most-affected municipalities, and provided 11 distribution points where people can collect water. A water truck also makes the rounds. Up to 18,000 people get water this way. In Cateel, water from a reservoir was piped to or near residents’ homes but the storm caused coconut trees to fall on the pipe, rupturing parts of it and allowing mud to seep in, said Jerome Q. Sabuero, a Philippines Red Cross staff member from western Mindanao, who also helped set up water facilities when Typhoon Sendong hit Mindanao in December 2010. “The water is brown and not suitable for drinking. Some people got water from the river but it goes brown when it rains too,” he said, standing inside a small, tarpaulin-covered space where he and two other volunteers cook, eat and ensure the plant, which brings water from a source up in the mountains –a two-hour hike away – works properly. They spent their Christmas and New Year here, sharing the tent where they sleep with a generator and a few water pumps. Alternative Solutions BG Mobile drinking water treatment plants for emergencies Following our objective to provide solutions for any need, BG water purifier provider develops mobile equipments, which without any further investments, are the best system for supplying immediately, drinking water in isolated places, or in emergency situations.
Posted on: Thu, 18 Jul 2013 15:36:23 +0000
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