AMID the challenges in flood and watershed management in Calabarzon (area brought about by its rapid urbanization, the pioneering watershed institution was created in the Laguna Lake region to address multiple facets of the water cycle.
Leaders of the Santa Rosa Watershed recently signed a Memorandum of Agreement creating the Water Quality Management Area (WQMA) Board.
This agreement resulted from a project funded by Coca-Cola that was implemented by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) from 2008 to 2012 to help local stakeholders in sustainably managing the Santa Rosa
Sub-watershed.
Groundwater studies show how rates of extraction will surpass those for groundwater recharge in the
lake by 2023.
Many shallow wells in surrounding communities of Laguna Lake are, likewise, reported to be depleted, polluted and unfit for human consumption.
In the four-year study commissioned by WWF and Bank of the Philippine Islands Foundation dubbed “Business Risk Assessment and the Management of Climate Impacts,” it bared the need to “think beyond a city’s fences” when managing issues on water and resource security.
“Cities cannot work alone. Flooding, pollution and water scarcity respects no boundaries,” said Ed Tongson, senior consultant for water resources management of WWF-Philippines. “Unless these issues are addressed by upstream and downstream communities through a watershed approach, unilateral solutions by individual towns or cities will not
be enough.”
While there is no institutional framework to draw on watershed management, the closest legal recourse for creating accountable institutions is Republic Act 9275, or the Clean Water Act of 2004, which establishes a WQMA Board whose members are consist of local government units (LGUs), National Water Resources Board, Laguna Lake Development Authority, National Irrigation Administration, water utilities, water districts, non-governmental organizations and other stakeholders.
With the creation of WQMA Board, the next step is to approve the 10-year WQMA plan as a basis for common legislation, budgeting and coherent action by LGUs.
“There are over 30 agencies
involved in the management of one or more aspects of Santa Rosa’s water cycle. When planning was once uncoordinated and fragmented, the WQMA Board can finally ensure unified and strategic efforts to keep the tap flowing,” Tongson said.