A program which aims to establish Solar-Powered Water Supply and Desalination Facilities in every barangay in Mindanao, including Palawan Province, will be launched Nov. 22 in Davao City.
Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año and Mindanao Development Authority Chairman, Sec. Manny Piñol, agreed to jumpstart the ambitious project during an inter-agency meeting yesterday at the DILG Main Office in Quezon City.
All Governors and Mayors of towns and cities of Mindanao, including, Palawan, are expected to be present during the roll out of the program.
President Rody Duterte will be invited to grace the launching of the project which aims to provide drinking and irrigation water in all villages of Mindanao over the next three years.
Using Solar-Power, the project will include three packages:
1. Solar-Powered Rural Combo Water Program which will provide water both for drinking and excess water for small irrigation projects for vegetable farms and backyard livestock projects;
2. Solar-Powered Desalination Projects to provide drinking water for isolated coastal and island communities;
3. Solar-Powered Irrigation Systems for rice and high-value crops farming.
Funding for the program will come from an estimated $500-M loan fund from Israel which will be channeled through the Development Bank of the Philippines.
The LGUs could avail of the loan with concessional interest rates and will be provided with capability building trainings to implement the projects as an income-earning economic enterprise.
This will be the first massive program which will address one of the basic needs of the barangays, especially those located in remote areas, which is water.
The availability of safe drinking water is also expected to contribute to better health of rural people while the excess water for irrigation could improve agricultural productivity.
(MINDAWATER logo by Samuel Ponsica while photos of the meeting between Secretaries Año of DILG and Piñol of MinDA were taken by Diane Garcia.)
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