ON AN island five kilometers away from Palawan mainland, the water supply for Shell Island, Sitio Cabugan, is connected through a submerged water pipe, providing water to a total of 35 households.
Gregorio Gabo, 55, the purok president of Cabugan Island, has lived on the Shell Island since 2000.
Gabo said that before the water supply from Palawan Water in March 2020, expenses were high, and efforts were doubled.
He said they had to travel two hours round trip by boat just to fetch potable water from the mainland.
If the weather did not permit them to travel, they would ration the available water among the residents.
After Palawan Water began supplying the Cabugan Island residents with water in March 2023, Gabo said that he could focus on other things, such as fishing. He added that it is better to have no light at night than to have no water.
Marvin Jason Igna, waterworks superintendent who has worked for Palawan Water for eight years, said the water source is five kilometers from the mainland and is connected through a submerged water pipe made of high-density polyethylene material.
He said the water from the mainland is sourced from a river and undergoes treatment to make it potable.
The installation of the submerged pipes took up to three months, considering the weather conditions, he added. (JPS)