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THE OFFICIAL E-NEWSLETTER OF THE PHILIPPINE INFORMATION AGENCY - SIQUIJOR | WWW.PIA.GOV.PH and the DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY - SIQUIJOR | WWW.DOST.GOV.PH VOL. 4| NO. 19 June 2-9, 2016
Feature: Water scarcity in Siquijor: Is there a way out?
by Rizalie Anding Calibo
SIQUIJOR, June 15 (PIA) -“No life without water. Even more than food we need it to survive,” said one Franciscan priest, Andreas Müller of the Order Friars Minor (OFM) in one of his writings on Sustainable use of water, oceans and marine resources. That is why access to water is a basic human right. Yet, some 663 million people do not have access to clean water. About a third of the world’s population lacks basic sanitary services. Polluted water and lack of hygiene are the causes of many sicknesses, he said, citing that the oceans, too, are polluted by plastic materials and industrial and agricultural toxic wastes which harm fish populations and destroy coral reefs and marine ecosystems. Climate change means for many regions less rainfall, lower ground water levels and lack of drinking water. The struggle for diminishing water supplies is likely to cause major conflicts in the future, the priest added as he calls for the conservation and fair and effective management of all water resources. This is apparently true for the island province of Siquijor. The issue, however, is not on the lack of sanitation or on pollution but on the scarcity of water and probably, ineffective management of water resources. Water scarcity has been a haunting issue, a “century-old problem”, so they say, in most parts of the small island province of Siquijor, particularly in its smallest town of Enrique Villanueva or Talingting. Some would even quip that “if there is forever in the town, it’s the water problem.” This worsens during summer especially in the recently experienced longer drought. Water shortage in this town is highly felt so that locals have to spend P10 to P12
SAD REALITY: In some hinter barangays in Talingting where locals lined up with their containers for water distribution initiated by a non-Talingtinganon. Thanks for the generosity of some few who have taken by heart the people’s hardships and made efforts to make a difference. (photo from Justice Hugo’s page) per gallon of water or P100 to P120 a day for ordinary households that consume at least ten gallons of water a day. The situation is becoming worse, it almost prevent people from buying adequate amount of food everyday. “Mosamot ta ka-ut-ot kay imbis ipalit
ug sud-an ug bugas, ipalit na lang ug tubig,” (You’ll end up suffering more because instead of spending the money for our food, we spend it on water) is a line usually heard from the local folks. Lucky for those who have cars
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