Manila Water funds study on Marikina watershed

MANILA, Philippines - Even though the country is currently facing a drought situation as a result of the El Niño weather pattern, Manila Water Corp. is planning ahead to prevent a recurrence of the disastrous Sept. 26, 2009 Ondoy flooding.

According to Manila Water president Jose Rene Almendras, Manila Water is commissioning a P20-million reforestation and management study of the 38, 000 hectares Marikina watershed which is 80 percent denuded.

Based on Manila Water’s investigation of the disastrous Ondoy flooding last year – which was initially being blamed on the suspected release of water from the La Mesa Dam by the East Zone water concessionaire – the heavy rainfall runoff was traced to the denuded Marikina watershed which drains solely to the Marikina River.

The heavy amount of rainfall, thus, completely submerged Marikina and caused the unexpected “once in a hundred years” flooding of almost the entire Metro Manila.

Following the Ondoy flooding, Almendras said, Manila Water decided to take a more active part in helping reforest the country’s various watershed and is particularly taking the lead with the Marikina watershed from which most of the rain runoff caused the devastating flood.

Manila Water, in fact, has signed a memorandum of agreement with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to take part in the management and reforestation of the denuded Marikina watershed.

The MOA entered into by Manila Water with DENR and the Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) of the Marikina Watershed Reservation (MWR) and Pamitinan Protected Landscape (PPL) is to prepare and implement a Comprehensive Protected Area Management Plan which shall serve as an overall guide for any intervention within the Marikina Watershed Reservation.

Around P90 million is supposed to be allotted for the Marikina Watershed Management: P44.5 million of which is to be used for the reforestation of 1,000 hectares for the first year.

Also included in the P90 million is the allocation for the feasibility study of the watershed area.

Unfortunately, Almendras was quick to caution, restoring the forest cover of the denuded Marikina watershed would probably last long after his stint at the water firm.

In fact, soil erosion plus the need to build roads to access parts of the watershed would have to be addressed first before any significant reforestation project could be implemented.