Tuburan, DILG ink P5m water project

TUBURAN town which had a typhoid outbreak early this year signed an agreement with Department of Interior and Local Government for a project under the Sagana at Ligtas na Tubig sa Lahat Program.

Tuburan town Mayor Democrito “Aljun” Diamante and Dept. of Interior and Local Government 7 (DILG-7) Dir. Ananias Villacorta signed the agreement last Friday with DILG Sec. Jesse Robredo as witness.

The Sagana at Ligtas na Tubig sa Lahat (Salintubig) program aims to increase water services for the waterless population, reduce incidence of water-borne and sanitation-related diseases, and improve access of the poor to sanitation services.

The program which runs until 2016 aims to increased water service for the waterless population by 50 percent, reduce incidence of water-borne and sanitation related diseases by 20 percent and improve access of the poor to sanitation services by 10 percent.

An amount of P5 million was allocated by the program for Tuburan.

Four people have died from typhoid fever while over a thousand cases have been reported in an outbreak in the town last March.

Almost all of the 54 villages of Tuburan, 96.7 kilometers northwest of Cebu City, were affected by the typhoid outbreak.

The municipal council declared a state of calamity so it could use its calamity fund to provide medical attention to the stricken residents.

Robredo, who was in Cebu last March, pledged to give P10 million for the rehabilitation of the water system.

Aside from Tuburan, the towns of Pinamungajan, Sibonga and Sogod also entered into an agreement for the water program. /Correspondent Carmel Loise Matus