A solar-powered water pumping system with filtration and treatment facility; basic nutrition and food safety; chocobuco making as livelihood opportunity; and waste management.
These were just some of the projects provided by the Department of Science and Technology’s (DOST)-Mimaropa, through the Community Empowerment through Science and Technology (CEST) program to communities in Romblon.
Water-source problem
A newly installed solar-powered water pumping system with filtration and treatment facility made a big difference to the lives of residents on the island of Concepcion in Romblon in terms of water security and safety.
Concepcion, considered a Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Area (Gida), is the farthest island municipality in the province with nine barangays. It has been suffering from limited access to safe and adequate water.
Its residents rely only on rainwater collected with basins and pails, and deep wells powered by electric pumps that have limited operations due to high electricity cost.
Barangay Masadya residents were given only two hours in the morning and another two in the afternoon to fetch water for their families’ needs.
Barangay officials limit the water collection hours to avoid incurring high electricity costs.
Each family is required to pay P50 per 10 cubic meters of water per month and an additional P5 per extra 10 cubic meters for the use of the deep well to sustain its operations.
On average, Barangay Masadya is paying P7,000 solely for electricity, which they admit can be used for more valuable expenses of the community.
Besides the high costs, the water is also salty and metallic in taste which pose many health risks to the residents.
Also, when a household was not able to save enough water within the allotted time, they have to endure traveling to the next barangay, Barangay Poblacion, which is about 7 kilometers away.
Dream come true
It is the dream of Barangay Masadya—the poorest barangay on Concepcion—to reduce this drudgery and to be able to improve the health condition of its residents and give more opportunity of spending more time on income-generating and other productive activities.
Finally, the barangay’s dream has come true.
A solar energy system-powered water pump was provided to Barangay Masadya through the DOST’s CEST Program.
The residents are guaranteed with continued access to clean and safe drinking water any time of the day with the installation of the solar-powered water system that has filtration and treatment facilities,.
A total of 74 households, or about 400 residents, not only from the community but even from the adjacent barangays could now benefit from the improved water source.
Improved water quality
Moreover, the system’s water filtration and treatment facility greatly improved the water quality. The water’s metallic taste has been removed and its saltiness has been reduced by 90 percent.
Since it is solar-powered, it also helps the community manage their water needs in an environment-friendly way. The barangay local government unit maintains the technology and ensures that families can collect as much water as they need that is also clean and safe.
“There is a big difference in the taste of the water now. It is no longer salty, making us confident now that we will not get sick,” said Barangay Masadya’s Chairman Erlindo Fanoga Jr. in Filipino.
Other interventions to guarantee the sustainability and reliability of their water supply include trainings on the operation and maintenance of the solar-powered water system, and the provision of ceramic water filters to 50 households in other barangays.
DOST-Mimaropa recognizes the importance of water security to ensure sustainable rural development and resilience, especially in this time of battling against the Covid-19 pandemic where sanitation and hygiene serve as the primary defenses.
Improving children’s health, nutrition
Besides the solar-powered water pumping system, Barangay Masadya also received various interventions to improve its status in health and nutrition through the CEST program.
Barangay health workers and barangay nutrition scholars were trained in basic nutrition and food safety.
The agency also showcased DOST-Food and Nutrition Research Institute’s Complementary Baby Food through a 120-day feeding program to all malnourished children in the barangay aged 6 months to 36 months.
Results showed the children elevated their nutritional status. Two children were removed from its severely underweight status, while seven underweight children improved their weight and were classified as “normal” after the intervention.
‘Chocobuco’ making
Economic opportunities in the area are limited, with only coconut trees as the most abundant resource and main source of raw materials.
To open more livelihood opportunities, a group of women was trained on chocolate molding.
This inspired them to venture into chocolate-making as a source of additional income.
In 2019, a women’s organization sought assistance from the DOST-Mimaropa and was provided with a coconut-processing equipment to make a special chocolate called “chocobuco,” a chocolate treat infused with coconut filling.
Opportunities in recycling
DOST-Mimaropa also performed a Waste Analysis and Characterization Study and provided the island with a plastic pulverizer and a junk compactor to improve its waste management and upgrade their materials recovery facility.
The technology, which started as an initiative for solid waste management, later turned out to be an income-generating opportunity for the community and the local government unit (LGU).
Plastic waste generated by households are being sold to LGUs to be pulverized and become a bulk material for hollow-block making.
Pulverized plastics are mixed with cement and gravel and then molded into blocks. The hollow blocks are used in the construction projects of the LGU.
Other recyclable wastes, on the other hand, are compacted using the junk compactor and are sold to the nearest waste-processing facility in Pinamalayan, Mindoro.
CEST works
Through the CEST Program, DOST- Mimaropa harnesses technology as a springboard for further development in remote areas in the region.
Through these projects, CEST works to raise the living standards of disadvantaged and vulnerable communities, not only in Romblon, but in many other parts of the country.
It provides the much-needed resources by addressing pressing issues related but not limited to livelihood, health and nutrition, education, disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation, and environmental protection and conservation.
Image credits: DOST-Mimaropa