Ormoc tags village with best sanitation practice

ORMOC CITY, Leyte, Dec. 9 (PNA) - Naungan village is declared as winner of this year’s Search for the Village with the Best Sanitation Practices.

For maintaining sanitation, cleanliness and hygiene in his community, Village Chief Rafael O. Taneo received the PHP25,000 grand prize during awarding rites recently.

Coming in second and third are Nueva and San Juan that received PHP15,000 and PHP10,000, respectively. Three other finalists – Mabato, San Vicente and Mas-in – were given a consolation prize of PHP1,000 each by the city health office.

A major factor to Naungan’s win is the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (Wash) program introduced by Lutheran World Relief (LWR) wherein PHP2.9 million worth of projects were implemented. The biggest of these projects is the construction of toilet facilities in 385 households worth PhP2.1 million.

This increased the number of households with toilet facilities to 934 compared to only 648 in 2013 and 701 in 2014. Consequently, the number of households without toilet facilities significantly dropped to only 22 from a high of 235 in 2013 and 285 in 2014.

Also part of Wash is the distribution of hygiene kits worth PHP700,000 to 1,161 families and the construction of material recovery facilities (MRF) worth PHP110,000 in Zones Pansat, Bangus and Putian. A pedicab collects household wastes that are deposited to the three MRFs.

LWR further conducted trainings on personal hygiene practices, solid waste management orientation and latrine maintenance. These projects produced positive effects to the residents’ health, with only one case each for Dengue and typhoid fever recorded so far this year compared to 18 and two, respectively in 2013. (PNA)
FFC/SQM/FNC/EGR