Antique Vice Governor Edgar Denosta will push for the procurement of mobile water tanks for barangays suffering from water shortage due to the El Niño phenomenon once the province declares a state of calamity.

In an interview on Monday, Denosta said there is a plan to declare a state of calamity on April 15, and the budget for the acquisition amounting to PHP2 million will come from the calamity fund.

“I had already a sponsored resolution approved during our provincial board session on Jan. 8, where I requested the allocation of PHP2 million for the procurement of the movable water tanks for the barangays,” he said.

Denosta proposed the purchase of 50 water tanks with a capacity of 1,500 to 2,000 liters of water that will serve as reservoirs so barangay folks will have access to drinking water and for their basic hygiene.

He said water shortage poses a real problem, especially in the far-flung barangays, so there is a need to transport drinking water for distribution to remote areas.

“We will request the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) fire trucks and the barangay emergency vehicles to transport water to these barangays,” he added.

In a related interview, senior board member Mayella Mae Plameras-Ladislao said she would support the proposal to place the province in a state of calamity.

She said farmers are not only affected due to their damaged crops, but also their health due to the extreme heat caused by the El Niño phenomenon.

On Monday, public schools in the province implemented the alternative delivery mode (ADM) or the modular class for the health and well-being of the learners. (PNA)

Photo credit: Facebook/ProvinceOfAntique