The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Wednesday said its Eastern Visayas Field Office-8 has completed the construction of 274 water harvesting facilities and 210 community gardens in the region under the Project LAWA (Local Adaptation to Water Access) and BINHI (Breaking Insufficiency through Nutritious Harvest for the Impoverished).

“Based on the recent report we received, the DSWD’s Eastern Visayas Field Office has already constructed 11 fishponds in Northern Samar, 11 in Eastern Samar, and 252 in Southern Leyte under the Project LAWA and BINHI,” DSWD spokesperson Irene Dumlao said in a news release.

Dumlao, also Assistant Secretary for Disaster Response Management Group, said the water facilities will cater to 138,605 square meters of agricultural land and help farmers cope with dry spells because of El Niño and climate change.

“The building and operation of community gardens is estimated to boost the harvest of vegetable, crops and fruit-bearing crops in the region that can provide food to more than 26,000 families,” she said.

Under Project LAWA and BINHI in the region, 3,800 partner-beneficiaries have undergone comprehensive training in disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation, and practical skills gardening and water harvesting.

After the training, the participants engaged in 15 days of work based on activities identified by the local government units, which included building water harvesting facilities, farming, forage production, and vermicomposting.

Project LAWA and BINHI beneficiaries later received PHP7,500 for participating in the 20-day cash-for-work and cash-for-training sessions from the payouts last July 13-31.

The twin projects, Dumlao said, are designed to maintain agricultural productivity during dry periods and to manage excess water during periods of heavy rainfall during La Niña.

“The project is among the innovations in the DSWD under the leadership of Secretary Rex Gatchalian that focuses on mitigating the impacts of food insecurity and water scarcity caused by El Niño while preparing for the potential effects of the rainy season,” she said.

Project LAWA and BINHI was cited by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in his 3rd State of the Nation Address (SONA) last July 22, prompting the DSWD chief to say that “our small idea has become a SONA program. (PNA)