Quezon City--- An estimated one million more Filipinos living in the countryside were given access to piped potable water with the completion last year by the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) of eighty water supply improvement and expansion projects in as many provincial areas in the overall cost of Pl.736 Billion.

This was learned recently from LWUA Administrator Orlando C. Hondrade who said that most of the completed projects were substantially funded by official development assistance (ODA) funds provided by such agencies as the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) and the Kreditanstalt fur Weideraufabau or KfW of Germany.

Of the eighty completed projects last year, 25 are in Southern Luzon worth a combined P352.9 million; 21 in Northern Luzon costing P548 million; 18 in Mindanao amounting to P344.8 million and 16 in the Visayas worth P490.2 million, Hondrade said.

While many of the projects were for further improvement and/or expansion of existing water systems operated by the local water districts, a few projects were undertaken to construct entirely new systems for the erstwhile water system less communities as those undertaken in Guiuan in Eastern Samar and Lebak in Sultan Kudarat, Hondrade added.

The projects involved development of water sources as springs, wells and rivers through construction of dams, intake boxes and galleries; construction of pumping stations fitted with electro mechanical equipment and water reservoirs; installation of treatment facilities, transmission and distribution pipelines, valves and fittings, fire hydrants and metered household service connections. Some of the projects had been implemented through private contractors and some done through administration or by the beneficiary water districts themselves under the technical guidance and supervision of LWUA engineers.

The completed projects with their respective project costs are as follows: Candon, lIocos Sur (P148.171M); Urbiztondo (P10.24M), Urdaneta (P151M) and Lingayen (P2.4M), all in Pangasinan; Gonzaga (P17.7M) and Sanchez-Mira (P9.26M), both in Cagayan; Roxas, Isabela (P10.5M); Diffun, Quirino (P12.57M); Hermosa (P15.527M) and Limay (P18.6M), both in Bataan; Floridablanca, Pampanga (P17.6M); Sta. Ignacia, Tarlac (P15.6M); Cabangan, Zambales (P12.8M); Norzagaray (P17.9M) and Pandi (P10M), both in Bulacan; and Cuyapo (P12.6M), Jaen (P14.99M), Licab (P14.6M), San Antonio (P13.5M), Talugtug (P7.5M) and San Jose City (P15.4M), all in Nueva Ecija;

Gen. E. Aguinaldo (P12.9M), Amadeo (P12.7M), Maragondon (P9.9M) and Tanza (P11.9M), all in Cavite; Agoncillo (P15.76M), Taysan (P12.68M), Lian (P2.8M) and Mabini (P5.6M), all in Batangas; Polillo (P13.56M), Lopez (P25M), Macalelon (P15.57M) and Guinayangan (P13.76M), all in Quezon; Taytay, Palawan (P3.12M); and Cabuyao (P2M) and Pagsanjan (P9.2M), both in Laguna; Daraga, Albay (P39M); Donsol (P15M), Pilar (P15.6M), Sorsogon City (P41.65M) and Bacon (P7M), all in Sorsogon; Del Gallego (P12.9M), Nabua (P10M) and Calabanga (P30M), all in Camarines Sur; San Andres, Catanduanes (P2M); and Aroroy, Masbate (P11M);

Bacolod City (P292.98M); Manapla (P11.6M) and Binalbagan (P18.9M) both in Negros Occidental;Belison,(P13.43M) and Bugasong (P10,2M) both in Antique; Malay, Aklan (P9.36M); Alimodian (P6.6M), Igbaras (P16.9M) and Janiuay (P5.5M), all in Iloilo; Silay City (P10M); Bais City (P30.6M); Guiuan (P16.9M) and Taft (P9.9M), both in Eastern Samar; Metro Hilongos (P8.66M) and Sogod (Pl5.6M), both in Leyte; Lao-ang, Northern Samar (P12.9M);

Oroquieta (P34.9M), Ozamis-Clarin (Pl09.2M), and Tudela (P16.8M), all in Misamis Occidental; Bacolod,Lanao del Norte (P10.36M); Isabela City (P25.7M) and ULB (Pl.89M), both in Basilan; Gingoog City (P11.36M); San Francisco, Agusan del Sur (Pl9.9M); Cantillan, Surigao del Sur (Pl5.74M); Lianga (two projects worth P10.6M and Pl.8M, respectively); Tagbina (P9.1M); Hagonoy , Davao del Sur (P5.62M); Panabo City (P27.9M); Surallah, South Cotabato (P6M); Midsayap (P6.27M) and Kabacan (P17.88M), both in North Cotabato; and Lebak, Sultan Kudarat (Pl 3.4 M).
c February 14 , 2007