SAN FRANCISCO, Agusan del Sur (MindaNews / 11 February) – A company has lent a solar-powered desalination machine to help residents of Dinagat Islands cope with the scarcity of potable water after typhoon Odette hit the province in December 2021.
Lent by Verdex Engineering Co. through the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)-Regional Operations Group, the machine was inaugurated on Wednesday in Barangay Cab-ilan, Dinagat town.
“Cab-ilan is one of the many island barangays in the province that has difficulty in accessing clean drinking water. Because of its geographical location, it is very challenging for the people living there to obtain potable water,” DTI Caraga Regional Director Gay Tidalgo said.
She said that when Verdex contacted DTI Caraga for the project, the agency saw it as an opportunity to help the community.
“Through Dinagat Islands Provincial Chamber of Commerce and Industry as the custodian of the unit, we know that we will be able to help people in the community have easier access to potable water especially that their boats that they use to fetch their basic needs have also been destroyed by the typhoon,” she added.
“The system can produce up to 1,000 liters of potable water per day using seawater as its source. Operation could be extended until night time if needed to increase the output to 3,000 liters by using alternative power source,” Louie Pacana of Verdex said. (Chris V. Panganiban/MindaNews)
