THE Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is strengthening water access, food production and heat protection measures to help vulnerable communities prepare for the possible effects of a super El Niño.
The preparations extend from community reservoirs and vegetable gardens to temperature monitoring in relief warehouses and planned heat insulation in evacuation centers, the DSWD spokesperson, Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao, said during the agency’s media forum on Thursday.
Dumlao said the agency is implementing its Risk Resiliency Program-Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation (RRP-CCAM), including Project Local Adaptation to Water Access (Lawa) and Breaking Insufficiency through Nutritious Harvest for the Impoverished (Binhi).
The initiatives aim to strengthen communities’ access to water and food before climate hazards disrupt their daily needs and livelihoods, she said.
‘We are focused on water access and sufficiency, and food security is also one of the concerns we are addressing. We do not act only when disasters occur. We also ensure that vulnerable sectors have the capacity to prepare and meet their needs when climate hazards affect their communities,’ Dumlao said.
Project Lawa and Binhi combine technology with community-based initiatives to help beneficiaries adapt to changing climate conditions and build long-term self-sufficiency.
As of Thursday, the DSWD had established 5,311 Lawa sites consisting of farm reservoirs, irrigation facilities and rehabilitated waterways. Another 8,671 Binhi sites, including communal vegetable gardens and root crop farms, had been established nationwide.
The agency is also introducing technologies to address water shortages in vulnerable areas.
On Monday, Social Welfare Secretary Rexor Gatchalian inaugurated the first Atmospheric Water Generator (AWG) system with a hybrid power source under the Linking Arms Against Poverty-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (Kalahi-CIDSS) program.
The system extracts moisture from humid air and converts it into potable water, providing a sustainable response to persistent water shortages in barangay Gilotongan, Cawayan, Masbate.
Dumlao said the agency is also deploying water filtration trucks to help ensure access to safe drinking water in areas vulnerable to El Niño.
‘We are deploying water filtration trucks and introducing other technologies to ensure that safe drinking water is available in areas prone to the effects of El Niño,’ she said.
Alongside community preparedness, the DSWD official said the agency is taking steps to protect prepositioned family food packs (FFPs) from spoilage as temperatures rise.
Dumlao said the agency monitors warehouse temperatures against established parameters and is installing industrial ceiling fans to help manage heat inside its storage facilities.
‘We monitor temperatures in our warehouses and follow established parameters to ensure that our goods do not spoil while in storage. We are also installing industrial ceiling fans to help manage warehouse temperatures,’ she said.
She added that the department is coordinating with local government units (LGUs) on heat insulation in evacuation centers to protect internally displaced persons (IDPs) from soaring temperatures.
‘Recently, we have also been working on installing heat-insulated areas, particularly in evacuation centers. Our Joint Memorandum Circular, which incorporates these measures for evacuation centers, is currently being routed,’ Dumlao said.