Pototan water project to serve 47 homes

By Mariela Angella Oladive

Forty-seven households in Barangay Macatol, Pototan, are set to benefit from a new water system project aimed at improving access to safe and reliable water in the rural community.

The project, funded under Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr.’s fund for calendar year 2025, seeks to provide residents with a steady supply of clean water for daily use.

Provincial officials said the project is expected to improve sanitation, hygiene, and overall health conditions in the village.

Planned work includes the development of a deep well, the construction of an elevated reinforced concrete water tank, and the installation of electrical and plumbing systems to ensure efficient water distribution.

The provincial government said the project is expected to ease the burden on residents who have long depended on limited or less accessible water sources.

Barangay Macatol is about 3 to 4 kilometers north of Pototan town proper and about 30 kilometers from Iloilo City.

Once completed, the facility is expected to strengthen water access and support better living conditions for families in the barangay.

Earlier, the provincial government rolled out the Iloilo Province Integrated Water Security Plan, its first comprehensive long-term framework for building a sustainable and climate-resilient water sector by 2035.

The Provincial Government Environment and Natural Resources Office said only 11 of the province’s 43 local government units currently meet the 62% national benchmark for safely managed drinking water.

It added that about 58.95% of households depend on Level I sources such as wells and springs.

Another 12.71% rely on communal facilities such as standposts, or Level II systems.

Only 28.33% of households have direct individual water connections.

The project forms part of the province’s broader push to improve water security in underserved communities, especially in rural areas with limited access to household connections.