DOrSU Receives 10 Water Test Kits from BSWM to Expand Community-Based Water Quality Monitoring
Water-quality monitoring in Davao Oriental could move closer to the communities that depend on local water resources as Davao Oriental State University (DOrSU) received 10 Water Test Kits (WTK) from the Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM) on September 24, 2026, in Quezon City.
The kits were provided through DOrSU’s Institute for Soil and Water-University Research Complex (iSAW-URESCOM), which supports the university’s research and extension activities related to soil and water resources. DOrSU is also a member of the Philippine National Soil Laboratory Network (PhilNASOLAN).
Representing DOrSU during the turnover were iSAW-URESCOM Assistant Supervisor Mr. Geralph Sam Villarubia and Project Staff Ms. Desiree Joy Maxey. The BSWM team included Mr. Joshua Mikhel Reyes, Head of the Water Chemistry Section; Ms. Mary Claire Alyssa Pras, Chemist II; and Mr. Ezra Almazan, Science Research Analyst.
The WTK was developed by the Water Chemistry Department under the Laboratory Services Division of BSWM to provide an accessible means of conducting rapid assessments of basic water-quality parameters. The kit can test pH, alkalinity, chlorides, phosphates, and nitrates through simplified procedures suitable for field-based testing.
For DOrSU, the equipment creates opportunities to bring initial water-quality screening beyond laboratory settings. The kits may be used in farms, irrigation systems, rivers, streams, ponds, and other water resources where timely information can help determine whether further assessment is needed.
The technology can also strengthen the university’s research, instruction, and extension work. Researchers and students can use the kits in field-based studies, while extension personnel can introduce basic water-quality testing to communities and other stakeholders. The resulting information can provide an initial basis for understanding local water conditions and informing subsequent resource-management decisions.
The initiative is particularly relevant to communities whose agricultural and daily activities depend on accessible water resources. By making basic testing possible in the field, the kits can help reduce the distance between scientific assessment and the people who need information about the condition of their water sources.
The DOrSU-BSWM collaboration also illustrates how government-developed technology can gain wider public value through higher education. Through iSAW-URESCOM, DOrSU can integrate the Water Test Kits into research and extension initiatives that connect scientific knowledge with community needs across Davao Oriental.
The acquisition further contributes to DOrSU’s vision of a regenerative future. The university can use the technology not only to generate data but also to encourage greater community participation in understanding and managing local water resources.
With the Water Test Kits now available to the university, DOrSU gains another practical tool for bringing science closer to the field. The initiative places information where it can matter most: in the hands of researchers, students, extension workers, farmers, and communities working to understand and responsibly manage the water resources on which they depend.
