THE government is set to roll out household water filtration kits and establish community water depots nationwide as part of its immediate water security and conservation measures amid El Niño threats.
Areas already placed under a state of calamity will be the first to receive a simple filtration system technology, Social Welfare and Development Secretary Rexlon T. Gatchalian told a Palace briefing on Wednesday, where the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) demonstrated how the portable purification units operate.
“We will start next week, rolling out to the barangays. We will ask them to bring their buckets. We will handle the drilling, we will do the installation, and we will also teach them,” Mr. Gatchalian said in Filipino.
He added that distribution will also target high-density urban communities in Metro Manila experiencing low water pressure.
The portable filtration kits, which Mr. Gatchalian said will be provided free of charge to communities, attach directly to standard 20-liter 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 neighborhoods, he said.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council earlier said 109 areas across the Philippines were placed under a state of calamity due to the effects of El Niño as of Oct. 14.
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.
Meanwhile, 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.
In a statement released Wednesday, the DENR said it presented its efforts to promote nature-based solutions that conserve soil moisture, protect agricultural lands and sustain the natural resources on which local farmers depend during a Cabinet meeting on El Niño on Oct. 5.
These efforts align with President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.’s directives for government agencies to accelerate preparations for the possible worsening effects of El Niño.
DENR Secretary Juan Miguel “Mitch” T. Cuna said nature-based solutions help protect agricultural productivity and farmers’ livelihoods as prolonged dry spells threaten soil and water resources.
“Climate-resilient agriculture is essential to maintaining national food and water security during severe El Niño events,” Mr. Cuna said in a statement.
He 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, nature-based solutions for upland farming communities.
These projects help conserve soil moisture and regulate local microclimates to keep rural agricultural areas viable during extended dry spells, Mr. Cuna added.
The efforts come as the prolonged drought induced by El Niño increasingly takes a toll on the country’s agricultural output.
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 data of DENR released on Wednesday.
Apart from nature-based solutions, the DENR also provides solar-powered irrigation systems, seeds and fertilizer, and cloud seeding when viable to help sustain local agricultural production.
The agency is also working with water management agencies and local communities to promote responsible water use and make existing water supplies go further. — Erika Mae P. Sinaking and Edg Adrian A. Eva