Preservation of 200,000 hectares of lakes urged

TACLOBAN CITY , Philippines - The House Committee on Land Use Planning, which held an onsite hearing at the Leyte Park Hotel here last March 12, has urged the development and management of some 211 lakes in the country.

A proposed bill to this effect is currently pending in Congress.

The committee is being led by Rep. Jeffrey P. Ferrer, representative of the 4th District of Negros Occidental, and includes as members Rep. Rufus Rodriguez of the 2nd District of Cagayan De Oro, Rep. Arlene Bag-oa of AKBAYAN, Rep. Angelo B. Palmones of AGHAM and Rep. Teddy Brawner Baguilat Jr. of the Lone District of Ifugao.

The onsite hearing in Leyte was held primarily for Silago's Comprehensive Land Use Plan dubbed as one of the best, if not the best in the country.

The pending bill aims to regulate the development and management of lakes in the country to enhance their sustainability by preserving its ecological integrity and reducing its vulnerability to hazards caused by human interventions.

The proposed bill explains that the issue of water is one of the most important because humans depend on water for source of food and nourishment, as well as nourishment and transportation. Blessed with abundant freshwater resources, there are about 200,000 hectares of freshwater bodies in the Philippines formed by volcanic and tectonic processes.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources has recorded 211 lakes distributed all over the archipelago. Some of these lakes are home to species of freshwater fish endemic only to the Philippines but due to environmental changes caused by humans, the biodiversity and water quality in these lakes are in great danger.

It was also explained that loss of biodiversity in inland waters is attributed to poverty and pollution from domestic, industrial and agricultural affecting water quality, causing massive algal booms and oxygen depletion.

Economic activity like aquaculture, through the introduction of exotic species, is another factor affecting biodiversity through competition for food, space, and predation. Indiscriminate use of artificial feeds and overcrowding of fish pens and cages hamper water movement causing water quality deterioration. Conflicting water utilization policies has affected freshwater environment, as well.

With the lack of a holistic program that will ensure the sustainable use, these lakes will deteriorate and will eventually die out, the committee pointed out.

When water quality becomes poor, its effects go back to humans.