Iloilo city: The local government here is a recipient of a mobile shower unit (shower-up) aimed at boosting access to clean water, proper sanitation, and hygiene services, especially in evacuation centers in times of calamities. The unit, mounted on a trailer truck, was turned over by the Metro Pacific Iloilo Water (MPIW) during the regular flag-raising ceremony at the Plaza Libertad on Monday.

According to Philippines News Agency, this initiative marks a commitment by MPIW to support the city government's efforts during evacuations. MPIW chief operating officer Angelo David Berba emphasized the symbolic start of enhanced sanitation services. Berba mentioned that the mobile shower would undergo enhancements, including faucet installations, and revealed plans to provide three additional units.

The mobile shower is equipped with a one cubic meter built-in tank, capable of serving around 10 families. The water will be supplied by MPIW. In addition to the shower units, Berba announced the deployment of a brackish water reverse osmosis modular treatment plant. This facility will serve 30,000 families in the City Proper district starting March next year.

Water for this project will be sourced from deep or shallow wells and will be deemed potable. The initiative aims to deploy the treatment plant in five sites with a total capacity of five million liters per day (MLD). This project is intended as a temporary solution to the existing water shortage while awaiting the completion of a desalination facility, expected to produce 65 MLD and become operational in the fourth quarter of 2027.