MANILA, Philippines — Senior Citizens Party-list Rep. Rodolfo Ordanes on Friday urged government agencies and local governments to speed up the deployment of mobile water treatment and desalination systems in communities facing drinking water shortages due to El Niño.
“The lack of clean drinking water is a problem for the entire community. Everyone, young or old, needs safe water, especially as the effects of El Niño intensify,” Ordanes said.
He cited a National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) report indicating that 109 localities had declared a state of calamity due to El Niño.
Ordanes urged the Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Health, Office of Civil Defense and local government units to deploy small-scale desalination systems in coastal and island communities and mobile freshwater treatment facilities in inland areas with suitable water sources.
“Not every solution to water shortages requires large plants that could cost billions of pesos. Smaller, commercially available systems can be brought directly to communities,” he said.
The lawmaker cited the Ilocos Norte provincial government’s P8.5-million initiative to acquire a mobile seawater reverse-osmosis and water filtration system for disaster response.
He proposed identifying water-scarce villages (barangay) and inventorying government-owned treatment equipment for possible deployment, alongside arrangements for trained operators, power supply, maintenance and regular drinking water quality testing.
Ordanes also suggested that local governments share mobile treatment units rather than require each barangay to purchase its own equipment.
He urged agencies and LGUs to explore equipment sharing, leasing or procurement using available budgets and eligible disaster risk reduction and management funds, subject to government rules.
“Technologies are already available, and some local governments are beginning to use them. What is needed now is to expand these solutions so more communities can have safe drinking water during severe drought,” Ordanes said.
