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ILOILO City – Local government units (LGUs) in the country are encouraged to invest in better water supply and sanitation systems.
This was one recommendation from the Water Security for Resilient Economic Growth and Stability (Be Secure) Project under the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) which has been working with various LGUs and water districts to address water issues.
Lisa Kircher Pagkalinawan, Be Secure Project deputy chief, said water supply and sanitation issues have health and economic implications.
“These issues have ties with people’s health. Water-borne diseases are more prevalent when you do not have clean water,” she said.
She said the Philippines, compared to other countries with similar levels of development, has higher incidence of water-borne diseases mainly because of poor sanitation.
She also said these health concerns brought upon by poor water sanitation are also economic issues.
“Every time someone gets sick, there is an economic cost,” she said.
She added that better water supply system and sanitation system help contribute to a better economy, stressing that information dissemination and elevating people’s understanding on these concerns are vital.
To help in this goal, USAID Be Secure Project recently partnered with the Philippine Information Agency (PIA)-6 by sending four student journalists from Iloilo to participate in the WaterLinks International Conference.
Pagkalinawan said the student-writers can publish articles on what they have learned from the conference and share these information to fellow students in their respective campus publications. (PIA/PN)
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