Friday, April 18, 2008 [ sunstar.com.ph ].
By Edmund B. Sestoso
DAUIN, Negros Oriental -- A barangay island famous in the world as the best diving site is expected to raise its income and revenue due to increase of tourist and visitors in famous Apo Island.
This is because of the ample supply of potable water, which is non-existent in the previous years.
The technology in obtaining potable water is through the so-called reverse osmosis process through desalination.
The technology and the business is now run by Mactan Rock Industries-Pilipinas Water Resources who introduced it to local officials here including island village leaders in order to solve the water problem in the island.
Apo Island is internationally renowned for its dive spots and community-based coastal resource management program.
Apo Barangay Captain Liberty Rhodes said that previously residents in the island used to fetch water from mainland Dauin and Zamboanguita towns.
Every four-liter plastic container was sold at P20 to islanders.
The desalination technology utilizes the water from the shallow well of Apo Island wherein salt water is separated from drinkable water.
The desalination plant is located in the middle portion of the island near the lagoon park.
According to Jerome Pagtabasan of Mactan Rock Industries, the water in the island is 75 percent salt water, which makes the shallow well to produce brackish water.
Some residents still use the water for domestic purposes.
The desalination plant produces 22 cubic meters of potable water per day, which is more than enough to supply the 11-cubic meter consumption of the residents in the area everyday.
The water from the desalination plant is sold only at P6 per container.
Pagtabasan encouraged residents to store the water for at least 24 hours inside an earthen jar before drinking it.
This is intended for the minerals found in the water to subside and the water would taste better like those in the mainland.
At present, Apo Island has a total population of 750 residents with 137 households.
Dauin Mayor Rodrigo Alanano said 2nd District Representative George Arnaiz introduced the desalination technology to him during his term as governor and Regional Development Council (RDC-7) president.
Alanano said he wanted to falsify reports made earlier that there is no water in Apo Island especially during summer.
In fact, tourists need not bring bottled water anymore when they visit Apo Island since there is already enough water supply there, he pointed out.
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