[ Manila Bulletin Online ] November 26, 2008
Drawing water in or near a watershed? You have to plant a tree first before you could get a permit to do so.
Secretary Lito Atienza of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has imposed the condition to assure the long-term survival and responsible use of the country’s watersheds.
"The availability and quality of our water supply depends on our watersheds. Therefore, we should see to it that they are protected and preserved, which can be effectively done through the planting of trees in these areas," said Atienza, who is also the chairman of the National Water Resources Board (NWRB).
Tree planting, he said, will make people who apply for permit to extract surface and groundwater from watersheds to become more responsible and aware of the consequences of unhampered exploitation of watersheds.
A technical working group will be created to formulate the guidelines to implement the new requirement, in coordination with the DENR’s Forest Management Bureau.
Among the issues the technical working group will look into are the appropriate number of trees to be planted corresponding to the amount of water granted, the type of forest species to be planted, and the location of the tree planting activities.
Applicants for water permits include a wide range of users, ranging from industrial companies to individual farmers or tradesmen.
According to NWRB Executive Director Ramon Alikpala, water permit applications received by his office are intended for any of the following: Municipal, recreational, industrial, irrigation, power generation, fisheries, and livestockraising needs, among others.
NWRB data show that as of 2007, a total of 19,744 water permits for various uses were issued nationwide by the board, amounting to a total of 8,038,321.30 liters per second (LPS), broken down as follow: Municipal use, 6,501 permits amounting to a total of 196,625.46 LPS; irrigation, 10,310 permits, 2,122,534.84 LPS; industrial, 1,393 permits, 232,959.0 LPS; fisheries, 481 permits, 23,885.14 LPS; power generation, 240 permits, 3,437,638.70 LPS; livestock, 173 permits, 462.74 LPS; recreational, 196 permits, 7,691.56 LPS; and other uses, 450 permits, 17,503.78 LPS.
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