DOST, MMSU seek to improve household water quality in Carasi, IlocosNorte
As part of the Community Empowerment through Science and Technology (CEST) program and the drive to provide clean and potable water for the municipality of Carasi in Ilocos Norte, the Department of Science and Technology in Region I (DOST-I) recently conducted water sampling in the different barangays in the said municipality to determine household water quality.This was made possible through the collaboration of DOST Provincial Science and Technology Center-Ilocos Norte (PSTC-IN) and the Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU).
Jahmai O. Grande, PSTC-IN CEST Coordinator, together with Cyrill Ann B. Manalon from the DOST-I Regional Standards and Testing Laboratory, Dr. Floramante Pastor, and Estrelita O. Domingo of the MMSU Research Extension, conducted the water sampling in 23 households in Carasi.
A total of 26 samples were gathered from said households including the main sources of spring water in the municipality. The samples will be subjected to microbial analysis
and potability test at the DOST-Regional Science and Technology Laboratory to determine the intervention that will be needed in the communities.
As part of the priority areas under water and sanitation, Manalon stated that it is very important to determine if there are hazardous microbes in the water samples since most of the households in the community drink from spring water sources.
During the water sampling, a calibration caravan was simultaneously conducted in the said municipality. In the near future, the DOST-I CEST Team is also expected to implement more S&T interventions in the community to improve the living conditions of the families. (By Kent J. Ramil, DOST Region I)
