Hope springs eternal in Kabasalan water project

For her family’s daily water supply, Melba Acotanza, a resident of barangay  Concepcion in Kabasalan, Zamboanga Sibugay, relied on the existing water system in their area for years. But water tanks are sometimes empty, which means they have to buy gallons of water from private suppliers. 

“Kapag walang ulan ng isang linggo, nawawalan ng tubig. Bumibili kami ng seven pesos kada galon ng tubig. Dalawampung (20) galon ang kailagan namin kada linggo,” Acotanza said. 

Other households were not even part of the water system. 

To address this, the Kapunungan sa Gagmay’ng Mangingisda sa Concepcion (KGMC), in partnership with the Peace and Equity Foundation (PEF), and Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines, Inc. (CCFPI) and Xavier Agricultural Expansion Service Foundation, Inc. (XAESFI), developed a water system to provide water to 300 residents of Brgy. Concepcion. 

The project, a part of the Scale-Up water program between PEF and CCFPI, is a level 3 water system that will address the high cost of water consumption and the unreliability of other sources to serve water 24/7. 

“PEF has engaged with KGMC, through community leader Roberto Ballon. They reached out to us about their problem. And we responded with the support of CCFPI,” PEF Area Manager Nikki Along said. XAESFI also pitched in by training the community on how to manage the water system properly. 

With the association’s water system, Nanay Melba and other households said they can now enjoy uninterruptible access to water. 

“Mababa na din ang magagastos namin sa tubig. Malaking tulong talaga ito sa amin,” she added.