Sulu towns get desalination machines
PANDAMI, Sulu: Three municipalities in the province of Sulu will now have desalination machines that can convert seawater into potable drinking water.
Three desalination machines, each worth P20 million, were turned over by the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) to the provincial government of Sulu last Saturday.
The machines will then be delivered on the island municipalities of Hadji Panglima Tahil, Pandami and Pata.
Each machine has an output capacity of 22,000 liters of water per day and can operate for eight to 10 hours.
To address the scarcity of safe drinking water on the island provinces of the Bangsamoro region, the BARMM government vowed to put up seven more desalination plants on other island towns in Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.
Sulu provincial administrator Erwin Tan, who represented the provincial governor during the simple turnover ceremony, said the machines will be of great help to ease the burden of residents living on the island municipalities in accessing clean potable water.
“In the name of Sulu Gov. Abdusakur Tan, we are thankful to BARMM Chief Minister Ahod “Al Hajj Murad”
Ebrahim, Ministry of Interior and Local Government (MILG) minister Naguib Sinarimbo, and to the Bangsamoro government,” Tan said.
According to Emini Kadiri, MILG-Sulu provincial director, the ministry is seeking provision for additional desalination machines to the other island municipalities and coastal barangay (villages) in the province.
In July, Chief Minister Ebrahim said that aside from the shortage of drinking water, the Bangsamoro government is doing its best to address the challenges faced by the island constituents.
“We would like to ensure that as long as we can, we will give them all their needs. This is just the beginning and there are still many basic needs to address the many challenges they are facing,” Ebrahim said.