People
of a small town in Cebu Island, Philippines don’t know it yet, but
they have been contributing to worldwide efforts in slowing down
global climate change. Their newly installed water supply system
that uses solar power—a renewable energy source—eases the earth’s
atmosphere of deadly greenhouse gases. Will replicating this small
feat have big impacts on the country’s greenhouse gas emissions?
HARVESTING, HARNESSING SUNSHINE
 The global race against climate change has been picking up speed
in the past few years, and calls for using renewable, nongreenhouse-gas-emitting
energy sources have been stronger than ever. But the tiny town of
Butong (Population: About 1,000) in Ronda municipality, Cebu Island
is already a step ahead of everyone. In 2003, Butong acquired the
world’s first solar-powered, pre-paid, water supply pumping and distribution
system.
Through solar panels, the system harvests sunshine and converts
it into electricity to run a pump that draws water from an underground
river and aquifer 23 meters deep. No diesel fuel; no harmful greenhouse
gas emissions; no contribution to global warming. And safe, clean
water for the people of Butong.
WorldWater, an international company expert in solar technologies and
water resources management, introduced the system to Butong residents.
A key attraction of the system is the bright blue “AquaCard,” a debit
card that enables customers to purchase water on a pre-paid basis.
Similar to the ubiquitous cellular phone cards that people from the
Philippines and in Asia are familiar with, the reusable Aquacard is
credited with a volume of water that can be recharged every so often.
DISCOVERING REMOTE RONDA
 The Municipality of Ronda lies outside Cebu City, just a two-and-a-half
hour drive away. Yet, once there, one gets the feeling of being transported
into another dimension, as the remoteness of the hilly town contrasts
vividly with the hustle and bustle of metropolitan Cebu.
There are
public grade schools and high schools, but no institution of higher
education in Ronda. No public libraries either, nor commercial banks.
There is one public telephone station and a post office. To get in
or out of the town, one has to take 1 of the few jeepneys that ply
the dusty roads to and from the city. Before the WorldWater system
was installed in Butong, people had to rely on mechanical hand pumps
that often break down.
“When it seldom rains, and our hand pump is broken, life was very
difficult. I had to buy water at 5 pesos per container,” an old woman
Ronda resident said. She was being interviewed by an international
news network that featured her town’s hi-tech water supply system.
“The next available hand pump is very far and water delivery is at
15 pesos per container,” she added.
Today, the bright solar panels of Butong’s water pumping system
stand out from a green backdrop of shrubs and trees. They seem out-of-place
in this far-flung community, but Butong residents proudly show them
off to every visitor of their modest town.
WATER AT A PUSH OF A BUTTON
 Water drawn by the solar-powered pumping system passes through a
chlorinator that purifies the water before being stored in a large
water tank. A 6-kilometer pipeline then transports about 25 cubic
meters of water daily to 10 distribution points. At each of these
points is a blue and white digital AquaMeter that dispenses the water.
To get water, one only has to insert a charged AquaCard into the
AquaMeter’s card slot, key in the desired volume of water, place
a bucket or any container under the tap, and push a button. Water
is dispensed and the AquaMeter deducts the volume from the card.
The AquaMeters are scattered across Butong—near the elementary school,
in front of a local store, across the basketball court, and other
strategic areas. Like the water pumping system, they are also powered
by solar energy, and can store sales data that local officials retrieve
every month. The AquaCards can be bought and topped up at the municipal
hall.
NO FINANCIAL BURDEN FOR BUTONG
 Such a hi-tech system as WorldWaters’ can be expensive, especially
for a town as humble as Butong. But the people didn’t have to dig
deep into their pockets to come up with the necessary money for the
system to be installed. When Ronda local officials saw the system’s
viability, they sought help from the Philippine National Bank (PNB)
to pay for the equipment. Payment for the 7-year PNB loan comes from
the proceeds of AquaCard sales.
The pre-paid system offered some comfort to the bank in terms of
security of payment and to the people of Butong, who now have control
over their water consumption. Since the system has been installed,
the price of water has gone down from 10 pesos to 3 pesos per 20
liters.
“The people even set the tariff themselves,” said John Hermann,
president of WorldWater Philippines. “The system seems so hi-tech
but when you break it down, it is something that the community can
easily handle,” he added.
WATER AND ENERGY PARTNERSHIP
How effective is Butong’s solar-powered water supply system in reducing
the Philippines’ greenhouse gas emissions? The figure has yet to
be quantified, but the small step the community has made opens up
the potential of solar power in providing water to other far-flung
communities in the country, without having to rely on diesel fuel
or other energy sources that harm the environment.
In fact, WorldWater has also undertaken several other clean energy
projects such as a solar-powered water supply facility in Sulu province
similar to the Butong system and irrigation systems that use solar
energy in Benguet, Nueva Ecija, and Maguindanao provinces. A host
of other solar energy projects are in WorldWater’s pipeline.
With more projects like these, the Philippines will not only reduce
its greenhouse gas emissions—pegged at 100.738 megatons in 1994 and
projected to increase to 195 megatons in 20081—it will also help
provide rural communities with safe and affordable drinking water.
Hopefully, the weather at Butong, Ronda will remain sunny despite
climate change.
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