The Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) has granted a P245-million term loan to the municipality of El Nido, Palawan to finance the construction of water supply and sewage and wastewater treatment systems as part of its efforts to promote environmental protection and sustainable development.
The proposed water supply systems are expected to help sustain the growth of local businesses especially the tourism industry in the municipality. These will consist of river diversion weirs, primary and dual media filters, storage tanks, disinfection systems and a combination of uPVC and HDPE transmission pipelines for falls or rivers as water source.
When completed, the project will provide a steady supply of safe and potable water to approximately 9,042 households in all 18 barangays of the municipality. It will also address the inadequate treatment measures in existing water pumps and deep wells in the area.
The project is supported by the provincial government of Palawan, the Department of Public Works and Highways, and the Department of Tourism.
The proposed construction of a sewage and wastewater treatment system is composed of sanitary sewer lines, storm sewer lines and the sewage treatment plant. The project will promote better health and sanitation conditions to about 2,254 households in the proposed service areas covering five of the 18 barangays in the municipality.
It will also help reduce environmental pollution through proper conveyance, treatment and disposal of sewage, and minimize health hazards brought about by contamination of water resources. The proposed sewage treatment plant has a design capacity of 2,400 cubic meters per day.