Timely project augments TVIRD community’s water supply during El Niño
Bayog, Zamboanga del Sur / March 2019 – Ninety families in a farming community now enjoy a steady supply of safe, potable water in their village, ending 24 years of having no direct access to basic drinking water. The project is funded by TVI Resource Development Philippines Inc. (TVIRD), a mining company currently operating the Agata Nickel Project in Agusan del Norte Province and the ongoing final mine rehabilitation of its successful gold and copper project in Zamboanga del Norte Province.
“Now we have potable water for our community,” said Segundino C. Dela Peña, Jr., a 45-year old farmer, community president and one of the recipients of the project, which benefits 22 households comprised of 90 residents in Purok 5, Barangay Depore of this municipality.
Completed in December last year, the water system has the capacity to supply 20 drums or 22,000 liters of water per day directed to multiple outlets – all for the use of the entire community, including Dela Peña’s family.
“The spring water is channeled from a reservoir, which ensures enough water supply,” explained TVIRD Community Development Officer Lope Dizon.
He said the system includes the installation of a transmission pipe from the main water reservoir – which is more than one kilometer away – to a newly-established distribution pipeline that serves all the residents.
Dizon further explained that a “spring” is where underground water flows to the surface. These occur when the water table meets the ground surface and are thus called “gravity springs.”
Providing basic services
Prior to bringing its Balabag Gold and Silver Project on-stream in the same town, TVIRD has provided basic social services to its host communities in the area, especially focusing on the lack of running water.
With the onset of El Niño, the project’s timely completion benefits off-grid rural communities that are left more vulnerable to illnesses during the drought.
The Depore Community Water System is one of TVIRD’s initiatives under its Community Development Projects (CDP), which are conducted in partnership with the local government unit.
“We are very grateful to TVIRD because we no longer have to walk more than one kilometer to fetch water for our needs,” Dela Peña said, expressing gratitude to the company.
Dela Peña has been a resident of Purok 5 since 1982. He and his wife, Jocelyn, are blessed with four children – the eldest of whom is a daughter who graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Technology while the other three are still in Depore Elementary School.
Safe to drink
Dizon said the project has alleviated the number of water-related ailments among barangay residents as of the first quarter of 2019.
“I am very thankful that now it’s very easy for us to get water,” Dela Peña explained. “As a father, I am now at peace knowing that our children will not get sick because of an unsafe water supply,” he added.
“For the last 24 years, I had to walk more than one kilometer to fetch water from an open well. Thanks to TVIRD, I don’t have to do that anymore. My neighbors and I are thankful to the company for putting-up a water system that addressed our water concern, which has been there for quite a long time.”
“Just imagine, I used to carry gallons of water for drinking and other household needs!” Dela Peña contemplated as he prepared to go to his farm.
TVIRD has been in the Zamboanga Peninsula since 1994 and is the first company to be licensed under the Philippine Mining Act. It operated its gold and silver project, followed by copper and zinc operations that were successfully concluded in February 2014.
It is also the first Philippine mining company to embark on a final mine rehabilitation program under the guidance of the national government.
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