Leyte

#betterwithwater in the Philippines

the situation in Leyte

An island exposed to climate risks

In November 2013, Haiyan, one of the most powerful typhoons ever recorded, struck the Philippine archipelago, particularly impacting the island of Leyte and the city of Tacloban. The United Nations estimated the death toll in Tacloban alone at over 10,000 people. The city and 90% of the area were destroyed, displacing 660,000 people. Those living along the coast were forced to migrate inland to flood-prone areas, where everything had to be rebuilt.

Relocation areas to be equipped with water networks

By early 2015, the construction of the relocation areas was completed, but the local authorities’ planning for water access was nonexistent. As a result, families had no choice but to buy water from informal sector vendors, who took advantage of the situation to charge exorbitant prices—between 3 to 8 times higher than the rates of the local water operator.

Better with water was then contacted by the NGO SOS Village to deploy its service at their relocation sites and now provides secure access to drinking water in 3 areas: SOS Village, Sacme Prime Town, and Pago Prime Town.