You would think that after all the rain and water that has flowed through the Northern Luzon region that we would not be having to consider issues of water. But, despite the obvious, there is no water for drinking and cooking! It's all very well giving people rice, but if they have no water to cook it in and no means of cooking what are they supposed to do with it?In the barangays of Karamutan and Lipay (in the municipality of Villasis) the people are
surrounded by water. They have at least four new lakes and one former dry river that is now flowing again. The lakes have become a favourite playground of the kids and despite the dangers of stagnant, polluted water parents are having trouble keeping them out.The villages have a number of deep bore wells that are still suitable for drinking, but no pump heads to deliver the water. On Monday this will change, thanks to a donation from the Rotary Club of Mont Albert/Surrey Hills in Melbourne, Australia, the three new sub-divided villages (divisions caused by the collapse of the dyke) will have one clean, safe water source each. No longer will they have to rely on deliveries of bottled water from agencies that are already moving on to 'worse' affected people - they won't have to rely on others for this most basic of all human rights - water.
