MABALACAT CITY --- Ten Rotary Clubs have begun providing Angeles City, Mabalacat City, and Magalang town bio sand filters to supply clean water during emergency situations.
Ron Nethercutt, officer of the Rotary Club of Mabalacat, said that five hundred of the filtration systems are made possible by an international grant from Rotary International.
Rotary District 3790 covers 11 provinces in Northern Luzon.
The project was implemented with the cooperation of Rotary Districts 6460 and 7600 in the United States, and District 9600 in Australia, according to Nethercutt.
He added that contacts between the four districts were made through the Rotary Club of Mabalacat and the District Grants Chair, Glo Nethercutt.
The grant provides for the construction of 500 large filter systems.
Some 300 heavy cement water filters will be distributed and permanently placed in local government areas, schools, and the Department of Health for use in times of crisis and disasters.
Nethercutt said that 200 plastic water filters will be given to residents in flood-prone areas.
The water filters may be more easily moved from homes to temporary settlements. It is estimated that the bio sand filters will supply clean water to over 10,000 Filipinos, Nethercutt said.
The bio sand filters were designed by Engineer Rey Mallari of the Rotary Club of Pampanga North and Engineer Anton Hernandez of the Rotary Club of Mabalacat.
Mallari and Hernandez are recipients of Rotary’s Paul Harris Fellow awards and active members of their respective clubs.