Watershed rehab project to provide livelihood to .3 M families

MANILA, Philippines - A watershed rehabilitation project of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Visayas and Mindanao will provide livelihood for some 350,000 families.

DENR Secretary Ramon Paje said the Integrated Natural Resources and Environmental Management Program (INREMP) would be implemented in 2,201 barangays covered by the river basins ­– Chico in the Cordillera region, Wahig-Inabanga in Central Visayas, Bukidnon in Northern Mindanao, and Lake Danao Watershed in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

“The INREMP, apart from addressing severe land and water degradation that has occurred in important watershed areas, will also help families in the target areas,” the DENR chief said.

Paje said under INREMP, one million hectares of land would be rehabilitated using 58 million indigenous tree seedlings.

The Upper Bukidnon River Basin has the highest coverage area at 446,620 hectares, Upper Chico River Basin covers 405,894 hectares, Lake Lanao Watershed with 138,834 hectares and Upper Wahig-Inabanga with 62,853 hectares.

Paje said the INREMP aims to reduce the rate of soil erosion from the four upper river basins to 4.6 metric tons by 2020.

Records show that in 1999, an aggregate volume of 25.7 metric tons eroded from the four river basins per year.

“All four have high biodiversity value besides being major providers of water requirements for major agricultural and industrial activities such as irrigation, power generation and local tourism,” said Paje.