Santol Village Multipurpose Cooperative’s (SVMPC) 20-year endeavor of having a water system expansion was put to an end after Carmen Copper has formally turned over to them a water reservoir with 75,000-liter capacity.
Through the Social Development and Management Program of Carmen Copper, 300 more households in need of water access will be accommodated by the new reservoir according to officials of the mining firm.
Said households, which is equivalent to around 1,800 individuals, are from Purok Santol Village, Barangay Don Andres Soriano in Toledo City, Cebu.
The existing cooperative water system only serves 192 households or more than 1,000 residents in seven villages of Barangay Don Andres Soriano.
“We’ve waited 20 years for this expansion. In the past, we cannot accommodate more requests because our previous capacity of 40 cubic meters (40,000 liters) just cannot cope with the demand,” said SVMPC Chairman Ernesto Largo in an article published by Manila Standard.
Before the turn over, the cooperative was only able to provide the communities thrice a day due to limited water supply.
Incidentally, the additional capacity did not only solve the water demand crisis in the upland barangays, it will also contribute to the SVMPC’s monthly collection. From P 40,000, they can now expect a collection of P50,000 before maintenance and operating cost.
“This for sure will make us more sustainable and profitable in the future. But what is more important is that more residents will get access to clean water. And it is all thanks to Carmen Copper with the support of the barangay council,” Largo said.
The mining firm sources bulk of its water intended for domestic and industrial use from Malubog Dam. Carmen Copper has already distributed 3.4 million cubic meters of fresh water to the Toledo City Water District as it also distributes thousands of liters of per year to the district to boost its supply.
