MANILA – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), together with other national government agencies, is ramping up its preparedness measures to protect vulnerable Filipinos from the impacts of El Niño and other calamities, in line with the instructions of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.
In a media forum at the DSWD Central Office in Quezon City on Thursday, Director Maria Isabel Lanada of the Disaster Response Management Bureau (DRMB) presented the agency’s mobile water treatment and water tanker units as part of the department’s arsenal that provides clean and safe drinking water to communities affected by water scarcity and disasters.
“Mayroon din po tayong inilalagak na mobile water treatment unit sa ating mga rehiyon para kapag may mga lugar na mahirap ang tubig at kailangang i-treat ang kanilang tubig ay dito po natin dinadaan sa mobile water treatment unit (We are also deploying mobile water treatment units to our regions so that when areas experience water scarcity or need water treatment, we can process them through these mobile water treatment units),” Lanada told reporters.
According to the DRMB director, the water tanker and treatment units can provide a supply of clean and potable water as these are able to treat most ground, surface, and brackish water sources.
“Ang two water tankers natin ay nagsu-supply ng malinis na tubig. Ang isa ay treatment unit at ang isa naman po ay potable water. May capacity po ito na 2,500 liters per hour na pwedeng ipamigay sa ating mga kababayan (Our two water tankers supply clean water. One is a treatment unit, and the other is for potable water. They have a capacity of 2,500 liters per hour that can be distributed to our fellow citizens),” Lanada pointed out.
She said the deployment and operation of the mobile water treatment and water tanker units are upon request and in close coordination with local government units (LGUs).
“In collaboration po ito sa local government units at nandiyan po ang ating mga Provincial Health Office at mga Municipal Health Office para umalalay po. Ibig sabihin, yung water source ay tinitingnan po ng mga local government unit under the City Health Office and Municipal Health Office kung ligtas po yung pinanggagalingan [ng tubig] (This is in collaboration with local government units, and our Provincial Health Offices and Municipal Health Offices are there to assist. This means that the water source is being inspected by the local government units under the City Health Office and Municipal Health Office to ensure that the source of water is safe),” she said.
According to Lanada, communities can also draw water directly from DSWD’s Project Local Adaptation to Water Access (LAWA) facilities.
“For example, yung Project LAWA, yung SWIPs o small water impounding projects, kapag may tubig po doon, tinitingnan yan ng LGU kung malinis o kaaya-ayang ipasok natin sa ating mobile water treatment unit (under Project LAWA, when there is water in the SWIPs [Small Water Impounding Projects], the LGU checks if it is clean or suitable to be fed into our mobile water treatment unit),” Lanada said.
The Project LAWA (Local Adaptation to Water Access) of DSWD aims to improve water resource management through SWIPs and builds long-term disaster resilience in vulnerable communities facing El Niño, La Niña, and other climate hazards. (Jose Cielito Reganit/PNA)
EL NIÑO PREPAREDNESS. Director Maria Isabel Lanada of the Department of Social Welfare and Development‘s (DSWD) Disaster Response Management Bureau (DRMB) presents El Niño preparedness measures during a media forum at the DSWD Central Office in Quezon City on Thursday (Oct. 15, 2026). Lanada said mobile water treatment and water tanker units are part of the department’s arsenal that provides clean and safe drinking water to communities affected by water scarcity and disasters.
