By Leilanie G. Adriano
Staff Reporter
Burgos, Ilocos Norte—Several public elementary schools in this
town have put up their own rainwater harvesting tanks courtesy of the Energy
Development Corporation which operates the largest wind power farm in the
country here.
In time for the summer season,
some schools in drought-stricken Ilocos Norte experience water scarcity hence
the need to install low-cost water, sanitation and hygiene facilities
particularly among school children.
Using a simple technology,
the water is filtered through a facility that removes sediments like iron,
harmful bacteria and odor that may be detrimental to the consumer’s health.
Recognizing this, EDC’s corporate social responsibility program head Deborah
Melchor said they are happy to see pupils enjoying the rainwater harvesting system, providing them adequate source of water for toilet
flushing and for washing their hands and feet while in school.
“For 2019, we have already
installed rainwater harvesting tanks in the public elementary schools of
Nagsurot, Tanap, Agaga, Bliss, Ablan, Bobon, Bayog, Paayas and Burgos Central
Elementary School including a Day Care Center in Bayog,” Ms. Melchor narrated
in an interview.
Over the past two years, the
Burgos wind farm through its CSR program has embarked on addressing water and
sanitation issues in Burgos town starting with three pilot areas in Brgys. Paayas,
Bobon and Bayog.
As part of its water and
sanitation project, Ms. Mechor said EDC has also established a waste water
treatment facility which simulates the natural filter process.
“It utilizes an oil and
grease trap as a first layer of filter, a rapid sand filter which screens out
sediments and other suspended particles in the water making it visibly clearer,
a planted gravel filter in which aquatic plants serve as an additional filter,
a collecting chamber with fish as an indicator of the efficiency of the
filtration process and the collecting chamber where filtered water can be
reused for domestic purposes,” she explained.
The low-cost waste water
treatment facility is connected to an existing hand washing facility and placed
in an area easily accessible to the pupils so that the facility can serve as an
educational material how water is being filtered naturally in the environment
while teaching students about the importance of recycling waste water.
In the future, Ms. Melchor
hopes to replicate this initiative in other schools as a way of promoting water
conservation and sanitation for a healthier community.
For Tanap school officials, they
reported that their school have difficulty getting water during the months of
February to May. But with the installation of a rainwater harvester, their
students no longer need to go far to fetch water or seek the help of a water
station provider.
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