By Dolly Yasa
BACOLOD CITY — Two water filtration trucks from the Negros Occidental provincial government were dispatched to areas affected by ashfall to address the shortage of clean water following the moderately explosive eruption of Kanlaon Volcano on April 8, 2025.
Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said the trucks were sent to La Castellana and La Carlota City, where residents are experiencing a lack of potable water.
He added that the provincial government also deployed doctors, nurses, medicine, and 16,000 face masks to affected residents, many of whom have been staying in evacuation centers since the Dec. 9, 2024 eruption.
Lacson said hot meals will continue to be served through community kitchens inside the evacuation sites.
La Carlota City Mayor Rex Jalando-on said around 3,000 households in two barangays are facing drinking water shortages following the latest eruption.
Jalando-on explained that ashfall contaminated and clogged two of the three spring water sources of the local water district in Barangay Ara-al, La Carlota City.
This has affected an estimated 10,000 to 12,000 individuals living in Ara-al and nearby Barangay San Miguel.
Aside from the provincial government, the cities of Cadiz and Sagay and the Philippine Red Cross also sent water filtration tankers to help distribute potable water, Jalando-on said.
He added that the La Carlota City government has purchased its own water filtration machine.
The Bureau of Fire Protection units from Victorias, Silay, Bago, Kabankalan, and Murcia, along with the Filipino Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, also sent water tankers to help flush ash from affected areas.
Jalando-on noted a drop in water pressure in Barangays La Granja, Nagasi, Yubo, and Haguimit in La Carlota City, though the water supply in the poblacion remains stable.
