The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said Wednesday it has been providing water filtration kits to communities with limited access to potable water during disasters and calamities.
“We started this in Batanes in 2024 when Typhoon Julian struck the island and sources of potable water were affected. This helped our fellow Filipinos who had no clean drinking water during the height of the heavy rains,” DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian said.
He noted that the water filtration kits could also help provide safe drinking water to communities experiencing water shortages during calamities and weather phenomena such as the projected El Niño.
“When there are rainwater catchers or even basins, the collected water can be processed through the water filtration system to provide a supply of potable water,” Gatchalian added.
“This is a great help, especially since there are also communal water depots in communities that people rely on as a source of water during times of need,” the DSWD chief said.
Water filtration kits
The agency said it had provided water filtration kits to communities in Batanes, Davao and Cebu, where families experienced shortages of potable water due to disasters, including earthquakes.
According to the DSWD, the portable water filtration kits use 0.1-micron filters that can remove bacteria associated with cholera, salmonella, E. coli and coliform contamination.
Each kit also includes a bucket adapter filter assembly, a drill bit, a filter hanger, a cleaning plunger and instructional materials.
The water filtration kits are sourced from Waves for Water Organization Inc. and have been certified by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a regulatory agency under the Department of Health (DOH).
“The certification confirmed that the product water collected using the MVP Point One Filter Sawyer 0.1 Micron Hollow Fiber and Membrane Filter of Waves for Water Organization Inc. complied with the physical, chemical and microbiological requirements of the Philippine National Standards for Drinking Water (PNSDW) for the parameters analyzed and can be used as safe drinking water,” the DSWD said.
The DSWD is set to discuss the proper use of its water filtration kits during a media forum on Thursday, October 15, at the agency’s New Press Center in Quezon City. Disaster Response Management Bureau (DRMB) Director Isabel Lanada will serve as a guest.
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