Sunday, August 19, 2007 Cordi's major rivers record dwindling water flow By Jane Cadalig
MAJOR rivers in the Cordillera are in danger of dwindling water flow.
Irrigation officials on Thursday reported water discharge of the major rivers here have decreased, threatening one of the major sources of livelihood not only in the region but also the lowland provinces.
The National Irrigation Administration-Cordillera reported a decreasing trend in the water flow of the rivers that are considered main tributaries to irrigation, considered the lifeblood of farming, which is among the major sources of livelihood in the region.
In Benguet, the three major sources of water for irrigation and for power generation - Agno, Bued and Amburayan – have dwindling water discharge.
Engineer Ronie Cervantes, irrigation officer of NIA-Benguet, said comparative monitoring done on these three river systems revealed decreasing flow.
Agno River's water flow declined from 25,258 liters per second in June 2006 to 17,611 liters per second this year. The same trend was observed for the month of July, which also decreased from 42,189 liters per second in 2006 to 22,667 liters per second this year.
Bued River, which drains from Tuba towards La Union, also showed a decrease in water discharge. From 4,897 liters per second in July last year, the river's flow declined to 2,696 liters per second this year. It recorded a minimal increase from 2,053 liters per second in June 2006 to 2,092 liters per second for the same period this year.
The Amburayan River, which flows from Kapangan and some parts of Atok, recorded a discharge of 6,099 liters per second from 11,821 liters per second in June last year. From 18,135 liters per second in July last year, the water flow decreased to 7,003 this year.
The trend is similar to the Chico River in Mt. Province. The river flows down to Kalinga, the region's major rice producing province.
Mt. Province provincial irrigation officer Delfin Aglit reported the river's water discharge declined from 19.93 cubic meters per second in June last year to 10.53 cubic meters per second this year and from 28.93 cubic meters per second in July 2006 to 20.23 for the same period this year.
NIA Regional Director Abraham Akilit said provincial irrigation officers have been ordered to conduct a daily monitoring on the water discharge of all the major rivers in the region.
The agency also agreed to help the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in preserving the watersheds in the region.
The towns of Bauko in Mt. Province and Buguias in Benguet were piloted for the watershed development program, which taps communities in reforestation efforts.
"Watershed development is the cheapest way to sustain the agriculture sector," Akilit said.
