World Vision to respond to flooded villages in Agusan del Sur

Flood in Loreto, Agusan del Sur. Frank Salindato/WV staff

 

Following the massive flooding in some areas of Mindanao, World Vision will be distributing clean water kits that include Procter & Gamble (P&G) water purifier packets, filter cloth and jerry cans and hygiene kits in the next days.

 

“We initially aim to assist 2,500 families in the municipalities of La Paz and Loreto, Agusan del Sur. Let’s continue to uphold the families in prayer, those whose houses are still submerged, and especially for the protection  of  children  from  water-borne  diseases,”  says  World  Vision  Acting  National  Director, Rommel Fuerte.

 

Agusan  del  Sur  is  one  of  the  five  provinces  of  Caraga  Administrative  Region.  According  to  the  Field Health  Service Information  System  (FHSIS)  of  the Department  of  Health,  the  ratio  of  households  with access to safe water in the region is 56:100. Of the total households in 2006, only 46.57% have access to community water system while 53.43% have deep and shallow wells as their source of water.

 

The flooding started in the first week of January after tropical storm Auring dumped heavy rains in the provinces of Visayas and Mindanao. It was followed by a low pressure area (LPA) and sustained by tail-end of a cold front. According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), more than 600,000 people have been affected across nine regions of Visayas and Mindanao –  Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Minadanao, Davao Region, Soccsksargen, Caraga and Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). Nine casualties have been reported while more than 8,000 families are still in evacuation centres. To date, more than 254 areas are still submerged while 13 municipalities in the provinces of Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Davao Oriental, Agusan del Sur and Agusan del Norte are now under state of calamity.

 

Non-stop rains continue to inundate communities of La Paz, Agusan del Sur. “Many families are still in evacuation centres. I got stranded for three hours because some roads are now covered in mud,” says Franklyn Salindato, World Vision staff based in Agusan. The people fear that the flood will continue to get worse as weather bureau PAGASA warned areas of Mindanao of rains this weekend. Frank Salindato/WV staff

 

“It has been raining non-stop since the beginning of the year. We haven’t seen the sun for almost a month now. With this intervention, we hope to mitigate the spread of water-borne diseases and provide access to clean drinking water,” says Franlyn Salindato, World Vision staff based in Agusan del Sur.

 

The P&G water purifier packet, which is able to treat up to 10 litres of water was first introduced in Agusan del Sur in 2012 through World Vision’s Clean Water Project. Most families in the areas either rely on rainwater, deep wells or the lake for drinking water. For some who have money to spare, they buy. World Vision has assisted at least 40,000 people (9,000 families) through the Clean Water Project intervention.World Vision/January 29, 2017

 

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