LOCATION:
Tapul, Paranas, Samar, Philippines
Approximately 500 miles southeast of Metro Manila, and 220 miles northeast of Cebu City.
COMMUNITY DETAILS:
Tapul is a barangay (i.e., village) with a gross land area of 4,924 hectares. It has approximately 77 households and 387 total population. The community lives near the Ulot River. Ulot River causes them problems especially during the rainy season. The barangay planned and constructed a wooden bridge which they used for several years. Recently, that bridge was washed away by a typhoon.
The main project benefit is to reduce the difficulty for the community to transport agricultural products from farm gate to the nearest market. Currently, the transportation cost is expensive. The community also has difficulty responding to health emergencies. In the last year, an expectant mother gave birth in her 6th month of pregnancy. They were not able to reach the hospital in a timely manner because the river was flooded, resulting in the death of the baby.
Tapul resident crossing the Ulot River. Crossing the Ulot River during the rainy season a very dangerous endeavor without a bridge.
PROJECT SUMMARY:
Tentatively, the project team is evaluating a bridge for Tapul that is 2 meters in width and 25 to 30 meters in length. The bridge will be designed to handle pedestrian traffic, habal-habals (i.e., motorcyle taxis) and tricycles only. This will be confirmed during the project assessment phase.
PROJECT ADOPTION DATE:
June 2020
PROJECT STATUS:
Active – Active Design and Fundraising
The chapter executive board voted to adopt the project in March 2020. The approval process with EWB-USA was finalized in June 2020.
We are actively looking for support on all fronts. We need volunteers
(engineers and non-engineers, alike) to help, interested donors, and supporters to help us spread the word.
Please contact us using the button below to find out how you can help us provide the Tapul community with a manner of safe crossing over the Ulot River! Additionally, you can visit our EWB Philippines Project Facebook Group, our team LinkedIn, or follow us on Instagram for updates!
TEAM LEADS:
- Agnes “Aggie” Alolod-Wark – Project Co-Lead
- John Robertson, PE – Project Co-Lead
- Project Monitoring & Evaluation (PMEL) Lead – Ravin Wijesinghe