Japan funds water system in Surigao Norte village

MANILA, Philippines - Japanese Ambassador Toshinao Urabe signed this week a grant contract with Mayor Alfredo Coro II of Del Carmen, Surigao del Norte for a project installing a Level II water system for the municipality.

The project, amounting to $115,495 (approximately P4.7 million), is funded through the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP).

The project will be undertaken in Barangay Caub, the only barangay on Kangbongyo Island in Del Carmen town.

The residents in Caub have been lacking access to safe and potable water because of decreasing well water and salination. This has given rise to outbreaks of diseases.

It is beyond the municipality’s financial capacity to improve the quality of underground water or establish a new water supply system. Purchasing bottled water regularly from the mainland is not an affordable option for the residents. 

To address the problem, the Japanese government is funding the purchase of a vessel to transport water from the mainland to Caub, and the installation of a tank to store the transported water, four water stations in the barangay, and water pipes to connect the tank to these stations.

Through the project, about 2,000 residents in Caub will have access to safe and affordable water.

 The Japanese government, as the top donor of overseas development assistance to the Philippines, launched the GGP in the country in 1989 to reduce poverty and help various communities engaged in grassroots activities.

As of this month, 469 grassroots projects funded by GGP – ranging from roughly P1 million to P4 million – have been implemented by NGOs, local government units, and other non-profit organizations. The total grant for these projects has so far amounted to $22.6 million.