LANAO DEL SUR (Mindanao Examiner / Mar. 13, 2012) – Maranaos are known as “the people of the lake” but clean and accessible water is a scarce commodity in some communities.
Rohaida Salip, a 35-year old mother of two, said having no safe water puts all of her family at risk. “From the time I was born, Lake Lanao is our only source of drinking water for which we’re never sure of its safety,” she said.
Known as the deepest freshwater and second largest lake in the Philippines, Lake Lanao plays a vital role in the economic activities of the area and in the entire Mindanao Island. The lake is also the source of water for hydroelectric power supplying the Maria Cristina Falls.
Every morning, Rohaida said she or her husband has to bring plastic containers in the cleaner part of the lake’s shoreline to fetch water for drinking and cooking. But at times when driftwoods and garbage gather in the shoreline, they have to go to the deeper part of the lake using a banca or canoe to get clean water.
“It becomes more difficult. We have to use the banca and consume a lot of time fetching our daily ration of water not to mention the risk of tipping over during strong and rough tides,” she said.
She added their community has recorded a number of water-borne ailments. But for the longest time they were left with no options.
But their plight changed when the local government of Balindong and the Department of Agriculture’s Mindanao Rural Development Program (DA-MRDP) partnered to address the long clamor of the communities to have potable water nearby.
MRDP is a long term poverty alleviation initiative catering 225 municipalities mostly the poorest of the poor towns in the six regions of Mindanao.
A fourth class town, Balindong is one of 38 municipalities comprising the Province of Lanao del Sur. It lies on the western part of the province. The town is 16 kilometer away from Marawi City, and 53 kilometers from the nearest seaport of Iligan City.
The town received a total of P2.5 million under the Community Fund for Agricultural Development (CFAD) component.
CFAD utilizes community demand-driven scheme where the beneficiaries themselves identify their priority project. Aside from the various agri-livelihoods, three peoples’ organizations have benefited from the project including Lalabuan Friendship Association in the villge of Lumbayao where
Rohaida is the chairwoman; the Poblacion Neighborhood Association in Brgy Poblacion and the Paigoay Vendors Association in Brgy. Paigoay.
These associations received P125,000 each to fund their respective small scale potable water system.
After series of tests it was found out that their ground water can be a safe source of potable water. So their money was spent to purchase water pump, reservoir, pipes of various sizes and faucets.
Now with the installation of the potable water system around their community, Rohaida said they don’t risk water safety anymore and have more time tending her store and other livelihoods.
“he accessible, adequate and clean water has helped us made our household activities a lot easier and simpler.” Rohaida said, adding “I can spend more time tending to this small grocery store, attend to the concern of our association and my husband can devote more time fishing. The newly installed water system helps us to be more productive.”
For the Lalabuan association, there are at least 12 tapstands that served not just the 25 members of the organization but also the rest of the residents in the village which they require to pay a very minimum monthly contribution to raise funds for maintenance and other activities.
True to their association’s name, Rohaida said the project has promoted friendship and better relationship among them and their neighboring village.
“Aside from us (direct beneficiaries), our neighbors from the other village which is not anymore part of Balindong town has benefited from the project. They too don’t have to fetch from their usual source in the lake but prefer to fetch here where it is much safer,” she said. (Sherwin Manual)
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