LGUs urged to check water sources

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu provincial government has called on all local government units to check their water sources to prevent outbreaks such as the case of diarrhea in Danao City and typhoid fever in Alegria town.

Governor Gwendolyn Garcia is hoping that the mayors are already careful after the highly publicized cases in Danao City and Alegria.

“Safety and health concerns of our constituents should always be our topmost priority and water being a basic service and basic need must be carefully scrutinized as to its source, its transmission and its actual delivery to household,” Garcia said.

Garcia said, the provincial government is ready to help the LGUs in something that are beyond its capacity such as finances.

Garcia said she is waiting for Alegria Mayor Emelita Guisadio to ask for any help from the Capitol after the recent typhoid outbreak in her town. The Provincial Health Office has already been attending to the needs of the patients and monitoring them.

Garcia said that the province is willing to supply and purchase chlorinator of their water source.

“We will keep in touch with the mayor. We cannot do that if mag una una ta. We need to be asked,” Garcia said.

The Department of Health declared a typhoid outbreak in Alegria last week when it recorded at least 600 cases. Results of the health department sampling had shown that the water system was contaminated with Escherichia coli bacteria that comes from human waste.

In Danao City, four barangays were declared under state of calamity after more than 200 people, mostly children, have been afflicted with diarrhea. Water contamination was also cited as the cause of the outbreak. — THE FREEMAN