The provincial government of Dinagat Islands is exploring additional water sources that will provide more water supply to the people in the area.
Governor Arlene “Kaka” Bag-ao led a three-day exploration in the hinterlands of Manoligao in the town of Cagdianao that ended on Sunday (December 15) to personally assess the untapped water resources in the area.
“This is the second time that Governor Bag-ao headed an exploration in the area to look for more sources of water for Dinagat Islands,” a statement from the provincial government on Monday (December 16) said.
Bag-ao was joined by a team from the provincial government and representatives from national line agencies.
The first exploration was done last November this year where the team of the governor went to the existing water source of Dinagat to assess its state.
The exploration aims to determine the possible interventions the provincial government can undertake to improve the water service delivery to residents.
Provincial Information Officer Jeff Crisostomo told the Philippine News Agency on Monday that water distribution in the province is being catered by water systems managed by local government units (LGUs) in the area.
“A lot of areas in the province are not yet provided with water supply through these water systems,” Crisostomo said.
He added that most of these water systems are now facing difficulties in providing services to the people due to the lack of infrastructure support and equipment.
“In San Jose, the capital town, we are experiencing a water crisis. There is a need to repair and upgrade the infrastructures of the water system,” he said.
The recent evaluation also revealed the need for intervention to address the problems of siltation and the presence of sediments in water sources in San Jose, Crisostomo added.
“We have a lot of untapped water sources. This is what Governor Kaka wants to tap and develop to provide our people with much wider, efficient, and safe water sources,” he said.
Though the provincial government has funds to develop its untapped water sources, Crisostomo said the governor is also planning to tap funds from the national government through the submission of project proposals.
He added that more funding is needed to construct road networks towards the water sources.
“Roads are necessary for the transportation of necessary materials needed to construct structures and for the development of these water sources,” he said. (PNA)
