THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said it is in talks with an Israel-based company for a water supply project intended for 65 areas in the Philippines.
“One of the projects that we are looking at, and I am now speaking to an Israeli company, is to solve the water supply problem of 65 island barangays,” Environment Undersecretary Carlos Primo C. David said during a media roundtable on Tuesday.
“These are small barangays, mostly fisherfolk… We’ve identified that their only source of freshwater is rainfall. During the rainy season, they collect it, and they use it for bathing, for drinking water and all other purposes,” he added.
Some of the 65 island barangays identified are located in northern Bohol, Sulu Sea, Pangasinan, and Tawi-Tawi.
“So far, the only technology that I think will work is desalination…, which is getting sea water and converting it into freshwater is very expensive,” Mr. David said.
The estimated cost for the project would be around P6-8 million per barangay. The project would allow consumers to purchase potable water at P10 per 20 liters, which typically cost around P30.
“The challenge is, can we have the same technology, downscale it just for a barangay, and also minimize the cost, so that they can still be affordable?” Mr. David said.
Mr. David has said that an estimated investment of P250 billion is needed to provide water to 40% of the country’s population that do not have access to a formal water supply.
“This is up to the Philippine government to identify where they believe that Israel can have added value to the Philippines, either through government-to-government collaboration or through private sector-to-private sector collaborations,” Israel Ambassador Ilan Fluss said. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera
