Town Gets Renewable Drinking Water Created with the Power of Sunlight

Last week SOURCE Global announced their third collaboration with Conservation International, in order to deliver sustainable, clean drinking water to the Indigenous peoples of Palawan in the Philippines. SOURCE Hydropanels will create more than 40,000 liters of renewable drinking water each year, powered solely by sunshine, while offseting more than two million plastic water bottles.

“Remote locations—otherwise nearly impossible to serve—are where SOURCE Hydropanels shine; and this Palawan indigenous community now has renewable, cost-efficient, and clean drinking water that will improve their lives,” Cody Friesen, Founder and CEO of SOURCE.

The water will be delivered in two other hard-to-reach locales—in Bahia Hondita, Colombia and Atauro Island in Timor Leste. The global nonprofit climate-tech accelerator Elemental Excelerator funded the grant, supporting the global partnership’s efforts, and both the US Embassy, Manila, and the Philippines government were also instrumental in expediting the installation.

The Iraan, Rizal, community of Binta’t Karis is approximately a five hour drive from the nearest major city, and located in the protected area of Mount Mantalingahan, the highest point on the Philippines’ fifth largest island. The area unfortunately has limited water infrastructure, most of which is powered by gravity, in order to reach the communities at the base of the mountains. This does not serve the Binta’t Karis, who live at a higher elevation, which negates their ability to use this type of water sourcing. Now, 100 families and students at Binta’t Karis Elementary School will have access to safe and potable water for drinking, cooking and sanitation.

“The lack of a reliable and clean water source, and the sicknesses this caused, has troubled this school and their community greatly over the years. Now, there won’t be worry about where they can get drinking water as there is an accessible and consistently available source of clean water,” Ma. Pearl Lagrada, community administrator.

The project complements Conservation International’s long standing partnership with the Philippines government to implement sustainable solutions with the highest potential for positive impacts on Palawan’s highland communities, their rich biodiversity, as well as our global climate as a whole. Back in 2016, the group helped create the integrated management plan of Palawan’s Mount Mantalingahan Protected Landscape (MMPL) and supported the establishment of the nation’s first conservation trust fund, in order to ensure long-term financing for the sustainable landscape.

The MMPL contains more than 120,000 hectares that provide over $5.5 billion in ecosystem services including a vital watershed for 200,000 people.