MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System East Zone concessionaire Manila Water are jointly spearheading efforts to protect the Marikina Watershed Reservation now known as the “upper Marikina River protected landscape”, in a move to prevent another Ondoy tragedy. In September 2009, Typhoon Ondoy wrought devastation in eastern Metro Manila causing massive flooding and destruction of lives and property. Degradation of forest cover of the Marikina Watershed area has been tagged, in part, as a contributor to the calamity.
After consultation with stakeholders, Manila Water recently turned over to DENR and the Protected Area Management Board a seven-year comprehensive watershed management plan of the upper Marikina River basin which included a vulnerability study of the reservation area as well as a thorough evaluation of the watershed profile.
“Manila Water stands firm in its commitment to protect the Marikina Watershed,” says Geodino Carpio, Manila Water Operations Group director, in turning over the plan. “We have always been a staunch advocate of environmental protection and sustainable development because we are dependent on the environment that provides resources integral in providing service to 6.2 million residents in the East Zone,” Carpio added.
For his part, DENR Secretary Ramon Jesus Paje stressed that the Marikina Watershed is a critical and special watershed for its water holding capacity and there is a need to think out of the box to rehabilitate it. Paje gave marching orders to DENR Region 4-A to focus its plans and programs towards the stoppage of resource depletion, increasing forest cover and social fencing of the upper Marikina River basin protected landscape.
As a salient feature of the comprehensive watershed management plan, DENR will initiate efforts to increase the forest cover of the upper Marikina River basin by planting five million trees in a span of 10,000 hectares. For this year alone, DENR through the National Greening Program established by Executive Order No. 26, is targeting to reforest 1,000 hectares of the Upper Marikina River Basin with indigenous species of trees. “In order to accomplish what we have planned, we need to forge partnership among government, civil society and the private sector,” Secretary Paje said.