RP’s river basins: God’s gifts

Manila Bulletin

IVY LISA F. MENDOZA

Like all of the country’s natural wealth, river basins are precious God gifts as they play vital roles in our economy and human survival. However, their excessive wastage and unsustainable and indiscriminate land uses result in water supply shortage and catastrophic floods which become an ecological disaster that had adverse implications to the country’s socio economic development.

Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo recently crafted the master plan on the Philippine Integrated River Basin Management and Development, armed with relevant and responsive component programs aimed at enhancing the livability of these river basins.

The Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) through the River Basin Control Office, headed by DENR Undersecretary Francisco Bravo will implement the master plan which highlights four principal frameworks and development strategies of sustained river basin ecosystem management, such as the Integrated Watershed, Wetland Management and Flood Mitigation.

Bravo explained that the frameworks and strategies and strategies are strengthened by three supplemental components which include water quality protection and monitoring framework, information and decision support systems and river protection and rehabilitation framework.

The higher end purpose of the master plan is long term river basin sustainability and effective natural resource management as they embrace as they embrace a host of other resources which includes coastal ecosystem zones,

Urban ecosystem zones, upland ecosystem zones and forest ecosystems.

With 421 principal river basins that drains an average of 41 square kilometers to 25, 469 square kilometers, the Philippines is abundant with the water resources. The rivers in these basins are important means of transportation and a valuable source of water for irrigation.  Twenty river basins were considered as priority river basins because of their huge potential uses and apparently declining carrying capacity and deteriorating life support system.

This developed as the country’s river basins are in different states of degradation.  Records at the DENR show that there are 74 to 78 million tons of soil being lost annually affecting 65 percent to 77 percent of the country’s total land area.  Diminishing groundwater resources had led to 20 percent to 30 percent reduction in irrigated areas since 1973 while stream flow has been erratic causing less land productivity and biodiversity loss and the deterioration of the microclimate in the country.

            Bravo explained that the present situation and problems relating to river basins and river environments are brought about by natural conditions, the rising trend of flood and other water induced disasters the corresponding river control and drainage facilities; pollution as a result of urbanization, industrialization and inadequate sewerage and sanitation facilities together with indiscriminate land use and development.

            With the integration of agencies and functions under the River Basin Control Office, the government hopes to act on these problems with dispatch and bring a better and abundant water resource to all.