In the Filipino province of Bohol (Visayas) where a number of “Hydra” systems have been deployed in island communities of 2,000 to 20,000 population size, residents now enjoy continuous supply of potable water. Among the residents of Pamilacan island is the 60-year old Agapita Tria, who grew up struggling to have access to clean drinking water. She had her fair share of mishaps and near-death experiences just to get her weekly supply of water to drink from the far away mainland. Over the decades, Agapita has witnessed the younger generations endure the water problems on the island, worsening by population growth and price inflation.
By partnering with local government units, the national government, and non-government groups, NXTLVL was able to decentralize water supply infrastructures, and refocus the resources to areas where potable water is scarce to none. We also work closely with private companies and individuals who are aligned in their sustainability goals through their CSR initiatives in order to promote sustainability and water security to the community. To date, NXTLVL has been able to provide over 80,000 individuals from across the Philippines (Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao regions) with non-stop year-round water supply. With continuing support coming from both government and private groups, islanders like Agapita will no longer need to cross the seas to enjoy a drink of potable water.
The feedback from beneficiaries included the following:
“I remember when we had the turnover ceremony in Pandanon, all the people were there and some of them cried. To them, the desalination plant is such a blessing, because that was the time when they saw water coming from the pipe - clean water, drinking water.” - Bohol Provincial Engineer, Camilo Gasatan
“It’s now very easy to get water because the source is the ocean and we do not use electricity, we only use solar.” - Florita Espina, Island resident
“Now we have a desalination plant, we don’t have water problems anymore, because this is now the solution.” - Crispo Valeroso, Barangay Captain
These and many other local stories have defined the impact of having easy access to water supply in a community. Through NXTLVL project, the local barangays (communities) were provided with a cheap safe potable water source, and also with an income generating system for filling & distribution of the potable water outputted by the desalination systems. This income not only covers the maintenance of the system, but also generates jobs for locals hired to operate the desalination plant and extra income for the barangay. With not just the added income but a clear daily proof point of a sustainable business model in water, NXTLVL catalysed changed behaviors within the communities, including reduced use of diesel and diesel generators for water provision and reduced reliance on inter-island movement of water to further decrease net carbon footprint.
As of the moment the project can only rely on the technical water production and quality data directly reported by their systems and updates received from the local government units where systems were deployed. So far, it has created an impact to the communities as it has lessened their burden in going back and forth to the main island to fetch their drinking water and reduced (if not eliminated) their reliance on collected rainwater. While NXTLVL project produced several levels of impact (community health outcomes, community financial savings / income from water provision, carbon footprint of water provision), the project is conducting comprehensive studies to quantify and publicly report their impact on the 80,000+ population of potential beneficiaries.