DSWD to distribute free water filtration kits, set up community water depots nationwide
The Philippine Department of Social Welfare and Development will roll out portable water filtration kits and establish community water depots starting next week, targeting areas under a state of calamity due to El Niño. The free gravity-powered kits attach to household buckets and require no electri
The Philippine government will begin rolling out household water filtration kits and establishing community water depots nationwide next week, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) announced on Wednesday. The initiative is part of immediate water security and conservation measures amid El Niño threats.
Social Welfare and Development Secretary Rexlon T. Gatchalian said areas already placed under a state of calamity will be the first to receive the simple filtration system technology. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council earlier reported that 109 areas across the Philippines were under a state of calamity due to El Niño as of 14 Oct.
Speaking at a Palace briefing, Mr Gatchalian said the DSWD will roll out to the barangays starting next week. “We will ask them to bring their buckets. We will handle the drilling, we will do the installation, and we will also teach them,” he said in Filipino. Distribution will also target high-density urban communities in Metro Manila experiencing low water pressure.
The portable filtration kits, provided free of charge, attach directly to standard 20-litre household buckets and operate using simple gravity without requiring electricity or chemical additives. In tandem with household kits, the government is setting up open-space community “water depots” fitted with rain catchers and multiple spouts to collect and purify rainwater for neighbourhoods, Mr Gatchalian said.
Palace Press Officer Clarissa A. Castro said the government’s water conservation efforts include over 5,000 small water impounding projects under Project LAWA and BINHI, cloud-seeding, the activation of 61 decommissioned deep wells, and solar-powered atmospheric water generators deployed in remote island communities.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is tapping nature-based solutions, such as bamboo plantations, soil conservation, and water security measures, to ensure agricultural land vitality. DENR Secretary Juan Miguel “Mitch” T. Cuna said projects such as the Capas Bamboo Eco Park in Tarlac, soil conservation structures in Zambales, and Small Water Impounding Systems (SWIS) in Catanduanes and SOCCSKSARGEN provide practical solutions for upland farming communities.
El Niño-related agricultural damage and losses have exceeded P6.5 billion, with 159,211 metric tons of production losses and more than 215,386 farmers and fisherfolk affected, based on the latest DENR data released Wednesday. The agency also provides solar-powered irrigation systems, seeds and fertiliser, and cloud seeding when viable to help sustain local agricultural production.
