The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has put its first hybrid atmospheric water generator into operation in Barangay Gilotongan, Cawayan, Masbate, as the Philippines prepares for a stronger El Niño that could bring below-normal rainfall and drought to parts of the country.
The system extracts moisture from humid air and converts it into potable water. DSWD said the facility will provide a safer drinking-water source for 836 households in the island community, which has long faced difficulty accessing a reliable supply.
The project cost PHP 19,036,320.84 and was funded through DSWD’s Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan – Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS) program together with a local counterpart contribution from the Cawayan government.
Its atmospheric water generator can draw power from a solar photovoltaic system or the local electrical grid, with a generator serving as backup. The project also includes a powerhouse and perimeter fence.
During the project’s planning stage in May 2025, DSWD Bicol said the system was expected to produce 1,000 liters of clean water per day. The agency’s September 2026 announcement for the completed facility did not restate its daily production capacity.
DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian said the Gilotongan installation will serve as a model that the agency could show to other remote municipalities struggling with water access.
DSWD began exploring air-to-water technology with Manila Water Foundation in 2025 and identified Masbate, Romblon, Samar, Cebu, and Mindoro among the areas it was considering for the technology.
The agency has not announced completed atmospheric water generator projects in those other areas.
The deployment comes as the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) warns that the strong El Niño currently affecting the tropical Pacific is expected to intensify into a very strong El Niño between September and December 2026.
PAGASA expects the phenomenon to persist through the first half of 2027 and increase the likelihood of below-normal rainfall, dry spells, and drought in parts of the Philippines.