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CALOOCAN, Philippines: International aid continues to pour into the Philippines for victims of Typhoon Ketsana, and among the essential items are water purification units distributed by the Singapore Red Cross.
With floodwaters reaching up to six feet, Jona De Leon and her four children had nowhere to go but on their rooftop, where they stayed for more than 24 hours until a neighbour helped them.
Without any food or clean drinking water, Jona and her young children had no choice but to drink the murky floodwaters to stay alive.
"We dipped the electric cable in the flood water, so that we could get some hot water. The water was very dirty. All my children now have diarrhoea and are vomiting," Jona said.
In the aftermath of a catastrophe, like the one caused by Typhoon Ketsana, clean drinking water is essential to prevent diarrhoea and the spread of water-borne diseases.
When people living near Tullahan River in Barangay Libis Baesa were shown the water purification units donated by the Singapore Red Cross, they were amazed how two bottles could transform muddy, dirty water into clean, drinkable water.
"It tastes good, better than ordinary water. I hope we already have that (water purification units) here in the Philippines so that in case of emergency, we have something to use," said Gloria Perez, a resident of the flood-prone area of Caloocan.
Each unit costs about US$10 and can be used to filter 500 litres of dirty, muddy water.
"It could probably last for a week. This is not meant to be a permanent solution. It is until rescue efforts are stepped up and the systems are up in place. At least for one week, a family can survive on this," said Christopher Chua, secretary-general of the Singapore Red Cross.
The Singapore Red Cross is distributing over 3,000 water purification units to Filipinos in flood-prone areas.
- CNA/sc
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