Negros Oriental sets water confab

MANILA, Philippines - Negros Oriental hosts tomorrow the Water Conference 2015, a provincial summit on water conservation, at Silliman University in Dumaguete City.

Water is at the core of Negros Oriental’s efforts to pursue sustainable development, with the province poised to emerge as the best-case practice for using water as a key driver for inclusive growth.

A joint undertaking of Water Excellence Philippines (WEP), the provincial government of Negros Oriental, and the Integrated Water Resource Management Council (IWRMC), the event will be attended by delegates from local government, the business sector, academe, civil society and community organizations.

The one-day confab, featuring experts on water security headed by National Scientist Angel Alcala, will draw the best practices on water resource management and formulate resolutions on conservation. The summit also aims to establish Negros Oriental as a center for excellence and water ecotourism which other provinces can replicate.

Topics include Water Security and Sustainable Growth: A Global Outlook; Sustainable Agroforestry Systems for Food and Water Security; Rallying Forest Restoration and World-Class Watershed; The Role of Marine Sanctuaries in Ecological Conservation and Social Sustainability; Water Sustainability in Business; Innovative Ecotourism in Conservation Areas; and Creating Resilient Communities through Equitable Water Governance and Climate Change Adaptation.

Negros Oriental Gov. Ruel Degamo, working with various institutions headed by Silliman University, a USAID-designated Center for Excellence in Coastal Resource Management, and WEP, is finalizing the implementing rules and regulations of the Negros IWRMC to make the council the primary proponent of the water sustainability campaign.

WEP is a non-government institution composed of environment and economic advocates who work to promote inclusive growth through efforts centered on sustainability of resources, water efficiency, agribusiness and ecotourism.

Degamo noted that the province’s main tourist attractions are bodies of water such as the Twin Lakes of Balinsasayao and Danao in Sibulan, Apo Island in Dauin, Casaroro Falls in Valencia, White Sandbar in Manjuyod, Bais Bay in Bais City which is the habitat of dolphins and sperm whales, Balanan Lake and Tambobo Bay in Siaton, and the newly validated dive sites in Dumaguete.

The multi-sectoral IWMRC was formed in 2008 as a policy advisory body dedicated to the protection, rehabilitation and sustainable development of the shared water, land and related resources in the province by establishing an equitable institutional framework.