TACLOBAN CITY – The municipality of Arteche in Eastern Samar is constructing a water refilling station funded by over P1 million in rewards received from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) for earning the 2023 Seal of Good Local Governance.
Mayor Roland Boie Evardone revealed that the water refilling station is part of Arteche’s disaster resilience projects, aimed at providing safe and potable water, especially after natural calamities, while also serving as a revenue-generating enterprise.
“This is why our LGU is building a water refilling station so we can provide clean drinking water to affected areas, not just rice and relief goods,” the mayor explained.
Arteche, a municipality prone to flooding due to its riverbank villages, often struggles with clean water access during disasters. This lack of potable water increases the risk of waterborne illnesses such as diarrhea and amoebiasis, which the new facility aims to mitigate.
The mayor emphasized that the water refilling station will serve dual purposes: functioning as a local enterprise during normal times and converting into an emergency response facility during calamities.
“When there are no disasters, it will operate as a local enterprise, providing additional income for the municipality. During emergencies, it will serve as an emergency response facility,” Mayor Evardone added.
Although the town already has five privately-owned water refilling stations, these are insufficient to meet the needs of Arteche’s 4,320 households.
As a result, some residents have to source their drinking water from the neighboring municipality of San Policarpo.
The local government’s initiative seeks to address this gap, ensuring a reliable water supply for the community while strengthening Arteche’s disaster response capabilities.
The mayor, however, did not disclosed when the construction of the facility will start.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
