Raniag The Official Magazine of Rotary Club of Narvacan April 2022 Edition, Rotary Year 2021-2022
Life Changing Team Serve To Change Lives
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RaniagFEATURES
WATER:
INTRODUCTION You know that, water is one of the most abundant and important compound in the world. It is the major constituent of all living organisms. Some plants contain more percentage of water. The human body has about 65% of water. Neither plants, animals nor human beings can survive without water. Water is Life Biologists tell us that the first living organisms originated in the planet’s oceans. The ancient Babylonians believed that before heaven and earth existed, the universe was made of two oceans - one sweet and one salty - whose waters mingled together. Jews, Christians, and Muslims believe that before light was created, the “spirit of God moved over the face of the waters.” What all these stories tell us is that life arose from water. We spend the first nine months of our development enveloped in water, and when a baby is born, its body is 78% water. Even as adults, our bodies are made up more of water than anything else. Water, obviously, is crucial to our survival. While human beings can live more than a month without food, three days to a week is the longest we can survive with- out water. Given the importance of water to our survival and wellbeing, it would seem that access to water would be universally accepted as a basic human right. And yet 1.1 billion people worldwide do not have access to safe drinking water, 2.2 million people die worldwide each year due to a lack of clean water. More than 90 percent of those are children under age 5. 250 million people worldwide contract diseases such as cholera and dysentery from drinking contaminated water each year. Of those, 10 million die annually. More than 2,100 cancer-causing chemicals have been found in municipal water supplies in the United States. Free water is more than a nice idea. It’s a fundamental human right! Water is an invaluable gift given by God and is our basic need. We need it for various activities, but humans are using it indiscriminately, due to which the water is constantly getting reduced. Water conservation is the only way to use water properly. Although two-thirds of our earth is water, only 1 per-cent water is available, and if we continue to wastewater in this way, then there will be no water in the coming time, due to which life on earth will end. Water conservation has become the biggest need in today’s time which we all should take care of and we should use water in a planned way. We can also conserve rainwater and use it for washing clothes etc. We should not leave the tubes open. Water will also have to be prevented from becoming contaminated. We all must adopt water conservation so that we can get water even in the coming times and the vegetation and all the creatures on earth can live well.
RaniagFEATURES
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RaniagFEATURES
PARCHED LAND: Cry me a river! NIKKO MARIE REYES, Associate Editor
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hilippines as an archipelago is known for its scenic and beautiful spots scattered around its islands. To add, the lands are rich with natural minerals that can sustain the needs of the people for energy and food. Its waters, on the other hand can feed both the eyes and stomach. Yet, if we walk through the alleys of communities, we can hear a common echo from their shouts of “water, water!”
Yes. It is very ironic to think that this country beaming with the bounties of natural water is still scorching. According to the latest statistics of water. org, more than three million people in the country rely on unsafe and unsustainable water sources- leading to the conclusion that water supplies in parts of the country are frequently scarce. To add, seven million Filipinos do not have an access to water sanitation. Thus, this situation results to a bigger problem on health and sanitation. Although the Philippines has a total of 15 dams in operation up to this date, it is still evident that it cannot supply the demands of the present population. To add, the continuous growth of population also brings growth to business establishments that use water every day. Considering the situation of the country’s capital whose water is supplied by big dams, it is still in the metro where we can meet same stories of water insufficiency and problems of water sanitation. We have to address these problems now or regret a lot in the coming years. To give the metro a more sufficient water supply, the government initiated the construction of the Kaliwa dam to compensate the water needs of the growing population of the country’s capital and its neighbouring provinces. The said dam project will traverse the provinces of Quezon and Rizal and is seen to deliver 600 million liters of water per
day to the capital region and nearby provinces, reducing dependence on Angat Dam in Bulacan. According to the project manager of Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage Systems (SWSS) Engr. Ryan James Ayson, the construction of the said project is hoped to start this June and is expected to end August of 2026. The 60-meter-high Kaliwa Dam will cover a surface area of 291 hectares within Barangay Pagsangahan, General Nakar and Barangay Magsaysay, Infanta, both in Quezon province. It also includes a 27.7-kilometer raw water conveyance tunnel traversing from the dam’s location to Teresa, Rizal. Considering the details of the said project, we can say that this is not just a simple water reservoir. Instead, this is a huge project that undeniably will affect the natural land, the people and their living. More than the need to provide a more sufficient water supply in the metro, there is also a need to answer the shouting indigenous peoples who will greatly be affected by the said project since portions of the project area lies within the ancestral domain of the Dumagat-Remontado IPs. Series of dialogues and meetings were conducted with the leaders of the indigenous peoples to settle the problem yet the need to provide water to the parched land is still the priority.
y t i r u c e s r e t a Improving w ilippines in the Ph Water supplies in parts of the Philippines are frequently scarce and, as a consequence, supplies are frequently shut down to preserve capacity. Six to eight months of the year are largely dry: during these months, acute water shortages occur and people rely on drinking water sources that may not be safe. They may also lack sufficient water for washing to maintain basic hygiene to prevent infection from disease. Such inadequate and intermittent water supply in parts of the country present serious consequences to health. Groundwater currently supplies more than 50 per cent of the potable water supply and 85 per cent of the piped water supply in the Philippines. Groundwater is strategically and economically important to current and future water supply and is the principle source of dry season river flows, which in turn are often used for drinking water. Water supplies in parts of the Philippines are frequently scarce and supplies are often shut down. Intermittent water supply in parts of the country presents serious consequences to health.
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DISTRICT PROJECT
Installed two water facilities in Sitio Pacang, Sta Maria, Ilocos sur benefitting 100 residents as one of the program of Rotary Club of Narvacan.
OTOR M L O O H C S A OF CONVERSION REA A H S A W A O T RACK IN NNCHS INS) Program
l (W Wash In Schoo
2 2 0 2 N DISCO To celebrate fellowship, good fun, inspirational speakers, and discussion of matters which make one’s Rotary membership more meaningful, the Rotary Club of Narvacan attended the DISCON 2022 last April 23-24, 2021 held in Baguio City. The event was hosted by RC Downtown Dagupan.
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Free water is more than a nice idea. It’s a fundamental human right!
E D I TO R I A L B O A R D RICADEL S. LIM EDITOR-IN-CHIEF NIKKO MARIE REYES ASSOCIATE EDITOR DAN JANNIEL ANTOLIN LAYOUT ARTIST EMILIO G. AYSON JR. RC-NARVACAN SECRETARY
MHELYGENE TESORO-RAMOS
CONSULTANT, ASSISTANT DISTRICT GOVERNOR CLUSTER 1A, DISTRICT 3790
GILBERT CADACIO
CONSULTANT, RC-NARVACAN PRESIDENT