GLOBAL STRATEGIES FOR WATER SUSTAINABILITY

IN BAGUIO CITYBANZON, CAPARAL, CAPULE, COSICO, GAMBOA, HAMAWY, LULU, MIRANDA, NACILLA, PANGANIBAN, PARAISO, REYES,

ROBLESBA 190 STRATEGIC MANAGEMENTUNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

PROF. MITA ANGELA M. DIMALANTA

SUSTAINABLE WATER INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT AND GOVERNANCE - BAGUIO

CITY(SWIM)

• SUSTAINABLE WATER INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT AND GOVERNANCE (SWIM) PROJECT WAS IMPLEMENTED IN BAGUIO CITY, PHILIPPINES, FROM 2004 TO 2005. 

• SOUGHT TO ADDRESS CITY’S URGENT NEED FOR A REGULATORY FRAMEWORK AND INTEGRATED PLAN FOR SUSTAINABLE WATER USE, EQUITABLE ACCESS AND IMPROVED EFFICIENCY OF WATER SUPPLIERS IN A CONTEXT WHERE URBANIZATION, POPULATION GROWTH AND TOURISM ARE INCREASING WATER DEMAND DESPITE LIMITED RESOURCES.

• BAGUIO’S LOCAL GOVERNMENT IS THE MAIN ACTOR. IT PARTNERED WITH ICLEI: LOCAL GOVERNMENTS FOR SUSTAINABILITY, SOUTHEAST ASIA (ICLEI-SEA) TO IMPLEMENT THE PROJECT, WHICH WAS FINANCIALLY SUPPORTED BY THE ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK (ADB).

PROBLEM

• CITING LACK OF AN EFFICIENT AND SUSTAINED DELIVERY OF BASIC WATER SERVICES, ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK (ADB) GAVE A $250,000-GRANT TO BAGUIO CITY TO FUND A FEASIBILITY STUDY ON REHABILITATION OF ITS CREEKS AND RIVERS.

• MAYOR DOMOGAN SAID URBAN MIGRATION AND TOURISTS FLOCKING TO THE MOUNTAIN RESORT HAVE ADDED TO CITY'S FRESHWATER SUPPLY PROBLEM, WITH UNACCOUNTED DEEP WELLS AND SETTLEMENTS ALONG WATERSHED AREAS, AND PRESENCE OF MINERALS THAT AFFECT WATER QUALITY.

• STUDY FINDS THAT EXTENSIVE REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT IN THE CITY LED TO CONVERSION OF FORESTED HILLS AND PREVIOUSLY ABSORPTIVE SUBSTRATES, TO IMPERVIOUS SURFACES CHARACTERISTIC OF POORLY PLANNED URBANIZATION WHICH IMPEDES WATER RECHARGE INTO CITY’S NATURAL AQUIFERS AND ENCOURAGES RUNOFF.

• 32,000 CUBIC METERS OF WATER TO CONSUMERS OUT OF THE IDEAL 55,000 CUBIC METERS DAILY DEMAND

SOLUTION

• BULK WATER SYSTEM• CITY GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN EYEING ESTABLISHMENT OF A BULK WATER SYSTEM

SINCE THERE ARE NO MORE WATER SOURCES WITHIN BAGUIO. THE BAGUIO, LA TRINIDAD, ITOGON, SABLAN, TUBA, TUBLAY (BLISTT) AREAS HAVE BEEN PROPOSED TO BE TAPPED AS A WATER SOURCE FOR THE PROJECT.

• RAIN BASIN• URBAN PLANNING• REFORESTATION

UP BAGUIO’S RAINWATER HARVESTING SYSTEM

• RESOLVING THE LONG-DRAWN WATER PROBLEM OF THE UNIVERSITY USING SUSTAINABLE APPROACHES CONSISTENT WITH UP BAGUIO”S “GREEN CAMPUS” POLICY. 

•  RAINWATER HARVESTING HOPES TO HARNESS THE PERENNIAL HEAVY RAINFALL IN BAGUIO AND CHANNEL THE WATER RUNOFF TO A NUMBER OF STORAGE TANKS.  SOME OF THESE STORAGE FACILITIES ARE BEING BUILT UNDERGROUND CALLED “CISTERN” TANKS, THUS THE EXCAVATIONS.  PROF. CARIÑO SAID EACH TANK WOULD HAVE A CAPACITY OF STORING 10,000 LITERS OF WATER AND FIFTEEN OF THESE WILL BE BUILT AROUND THE UP BAGUIO CAMPUS.

•  PROF. CARIÑO SAID THE UNIVERSITY USES A SIGNIFICANT VOLUME OF WATER FOR CLEANING AND FLUSHING.  THE RAINWATER HARVESTING FACILITY WILL RESULT IN SAVINGS ON REVENUE SPENT FOR MOBILE WATER DELIVERY AS WELL AS FOR WATER UTILITY BILLS.

• THE RAINWATER HARVESTING SYSTEM IS, HOWEVER, UNIQUE IN THE SENSE THAT UP BAGUIO IS THE ONLY CONSTITUENT UNIT THAT IS GOING TO OPERATE THIS TYPE OF FACILITY, PROF. CARIÑO SAID. 

REFERENCES

• HTTP://UPB.EDU.PH/INDEX.PHP/13-NEWS• HTTP://

WWW.RAPPLER.COM/MOVE-PH/ISSUES/ENVIRONMENT/70354-BAGUIO-WATER-SUPPLY-ADB

• HTTPS://WWW.ADB.ORG/RESULTS/WATER-PDA-SUSTAINABLE-WATER-INTEGRATED-MANAGEMENT-AND-GOVERNANCE-BAGUIO-CITY

• HTTP://WWW.UNESCAP.ORG/RESOURCES/INTEGRATED-WATER-MANAGEMENT-BAGUIO-CITY-PHILIPPINES