Gov asked to convene water sanitation monitoring board

CEBU, Philippines - Following reports on water contamination in the province, the Cebu Provincial Board has requested Cebu Governor Hilario Davide III to convene the Cebu Province Water Sanitation Monitoring Board to formulate implementing rules and regulations of its water sanitation standards.

The PB, through a resolution sponsored by Board Member Thadeo Ouano, explained that there is a need to monitor and evaluate water resources if they comply with the local and national standards such as the Philippine National Standards for drinking water and the provisions of the Code on Sanitation of the Philippines.

The PB pointed out the waterborne diseases that surfaced in two areas in the province recently, including the diarrhea cases affecting at least 150 workers, two of whom tested positive of cholera, of a manufacturing firm in Danao City early this month.

Last week, there were 30 suspected typhoid cases reported in Pinamungajan town with two mortalities. Samples taken from the affected individuals have been subjected to a test.

Health authorities pointed to the Barangay Camugao water source, which serves around 400 households, as the possible cause of ‘typhoid cases’ in the area.

“…people today are very concern about the water they drink and with the advent of new technologies, people are relying on drinking water coming from water refilling stations as their new source, believing that they (water refilling stations) are indeed clean and safe for human consumption,” part of the resolution reads.

“Due to rise of the demand for a clean and safe drinking water, it is for the best interest of the Province of Cebu and water stakeholders to come up with a standard in the Province of Cebu upon which drinking water shall be processed and produced to come up with safe and potable water,” it added.

The provincial ordinance entitled “Establishing the Cebu Province Water Sanitation Standards of 2012 and for other purposes,” which was enacted in March 2013, grants authority to the governor to convene the Water Sanitation Monitoring Board.

The PB further requested the Provincial Health Office to update the Board on the status of the water laboratory of the province, including the facility’s capability in detecting contamination in the water systems.

Under the water sanitation standards ordinance, the province is mandated to establish a “fully equipped” water laboratory that is capable of conducting bacteriological and chemical examination.

But the Board said the water laboratory is still not “fully finished” until now. — Michael Vencynth H. Braga/NSA (FREEMAN)