Water, water everywhere… Nor any drop to drink!

This quote from Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s Rime of the Ancient Mariner best describes the island barangay of Sibolo in Caluya, Antique. Potable water is scarce in the island. The water coming from deep well is briny. People only use it for bathing and for other household purposes but not for drinking water.

And because potable water is scarce, it is expensive – a 20-liter can cost as much as P60, a hefty sum for people who could hardly earn that much in a day’s work. The steep cost is understandable, however. Often the water is sourced all the way from Occidental Mindoro or from the Caluya mainland which is about an hour’s ride by pumpboat. The trip gets longer and more daunting when the sea gets rough.

The people of Sibolo are simple folk living off the bounty of the sea. For income, they go fishing, grow sea weed, and catch coconut crab. Locally called tatus, this crustacean climbs and feeds off coconut trees. The crab is a rarity and is considered a delicacy. The town of Caluya has named its annual municipal festival after the crab – Tatusan Festival.

For decades, the Sibolo community had been dreaming of a project to address the lack of potable water in their island. But, lacking the technical knowledge, the skills, and the all-important funding, it had all remained a pipe dream.

Today, thanks to Kalahi-CIDSS, the dream has become a reality.  This agency tasked with bringing government assistance to the most needy and inaccessible has funded and installed a rain-fed water system in Barangay Sibolo.

Barangay Sub-Project Management Committee chairperson Dan Francisco said the rain-fed water system could provide the potable water needs of 104 households for at least 15 days.

Francisco said the project not only caters to the thirst of the community, it also allows to save on water expenses and reduces the risk they face travelling during bad weather.

The community is also planning to save some collected rain water for summer months when water is scarce. During heavy rains, people also gather water for their own consumption, said Francisco.

The community is very grateful to Kalahi-CIDSS and the local government unit for providing them projects such as the rain-fed water system and school building, he said.

The hardship of the community volunteers paid after these projects are completed. Children in the community are also enjoying the comforts of the school building funded by Kalahi-CIDSS, he said. # (MMC/Kalahi-CIDSS/DSWD)