1,000 Palayan households get P5-M water systems project

PALAYAN CITY, Nueva Ecija–Some 1,000 households in this city now have access to potable water following the launch of a P5-million water systems project in this provincial capital.

          The project involves a pumping station equipped with generator sets and other facilities which was unveiled here last Wednesday in Barangay Singalat, one kilometer away from the city proper.

          Mayor Adrianne Cuevas, who led the launch, said the water systems project is part of city government efforts to lay the infrastructure requirements for the influx of investments in the city.

She said that a “bagsakan” project will soon be launched within this month while a business hub will also launched next month.

          Aside from Cuevas, also gracing the inauguration of the pumping station were Local Waterworks and Utilities Administration (LWUA) chief Andres Ibarra, Palayan City Water District (PCWD) general manager Gerardo Calling and Singalat barangay chairman Fausto Lagisma.

          The project was financed through a P5-million funding from the PCWD.

          Cuevas said that the project poses a big relief to residents in Singalat since access to potable water systems  has always been a perennial problem in the city’s far-flung barangays. She said the acute lack of drinking water could be blamed for the outbreak of diseases in some communities because they only use shallow wells between six to nine meters deep.

          Cuevas said the city government has been exerting efforts to provide water to Palayanos, noting that next year, they will launch a program providing water systems to 50 indigent families per barangay in each of the city’s 19 barangays.

          “Gradually, we will be undertaking water provision projects so that eventually, we can have water for all Palayanos, with the help of LWUA through Administrator Ibarra and Manager Calling,” she said.

Ibarra said the city can avail of national government projects on water systems provision. He said one of these projects is the $60-million loan from the Asian Development Bank which can be used in water expansion in various areas of the country.

Among the areas which can be covered by the loan package are Koronadal, Metro-San Fernando in La Union, 15 water districts (WDs) in Bulacan and an additional 42-45  WDs in various areas of the country.

Ibarra said within the next two years, he expects the water coverage of the city to increase from the present 13 barangays to 16 barangays out of its total of 19 barangays.

Calling said that the PCWD was able to implement P23.7 million worth of water systems projects in the city. Of this, P15 million was used for the expansion of areas and “Lingap sa Mahirap” projects  in barangays Militar, Singalat and Aulo, benefitting 3,600 water concessionaires.

He said that they are eyeing four more pumping stations in Aulo and Singalat while in the next three years, four additional deep wells and lines will be installed in six barangays, including Bagong Buhay, Manggahan and Maligaya.       

Calling said provision of water is one of the priorities of the Cuevas administration which is eyeing to build at least 2,000 housing facilities in coordination with the National Housing Authority (NHA).

It is also preparing for the establishment of the government center, involving the transfer of offices of all government agencies from Cabanatuan City. (Manny Galvez)