World Vision to Respond to Flooded Villages in Agusan del Sur

Quezon City, Philippines, February 07, 2017 --(PR.com)-- 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 Mindanao, 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.

“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.