The Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD) has urged the 23 municipalities within Palawan, including Puerto Princesa City, to initiate studies on sustainable water utilization in an effort to help improve the management of freshwater resources in the entire province.
In his letter to all local government units (LGUs) in Palawan, Atty. Teodoro Jose S. Matta, Esq. PCSDS Executive Director, said that the LGUs should conduct studies on sustainable water utilization development and water balance with climate change scenarios with imposed water demand projections to quantify freshwater extractions. The LGU should also formulate and implement management plans to protect the watersheds
“The LGUs should enact ordinances and policies that would encourage efficiency in the utilization of water in hotels, businesses, and commercial establishments,” he said.
Atty. Matta likewise suggested conducting a Water Summit for Palawan to help achieve the objectives towards a more improved freshwater resource management.
“This should encourage all stakeholders to develop programs of action, particularly those that are doable in the near term,” he added.
He is also furnishing to the LGUs the policy brief, “Improving freshwater resource management in Palawan.” He said that this intends to help guide decision-makers, especially local officials, to properly manage their respective freshwater resources.
“It tackles issues gathered from the discussions of the PCSD Scientific Advisory Panel as well as from the water quality monitoring activities of PCSDS through the ECAN Monitoring and Evaluation Division. This policy brief aims to direct the attention of decision-makers towards sustainable freshwater resource management,” Atty. Matta said in his letters to all LGUs in Palawan, including Puerto Princesa, a highly-urbanized city.
He explained that the Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES), a market-based approach towards protection of natural capital, should be adopted by LGUs as a tool towards the protection of watersheds. The Sangguniang Panlalawigan may catalyze its implementation by establishing a legislative framework.
The PCSDS emphasized the urgent need for improved water resource management citing its importance as it encouraged the City Government of Puerto Princesa and the 23 component municipalities of the Province of Palawan to pass and enact relevant legislative measures, if none have yet been passed.
“Freshwater provided by wetlands, rivers, aquifers, and lakes have [an] indispensable role in our environment, economy, and society. Ecosystem services such as supply of water for domestic, commercial and industrial consumption, habitat for aquatic life, natural water purification, and buffering floods are provided by these bodies of water. The use of freshwaters is influenced by three important factors: the hydrological cycle that regulates the availability and quality of water; the nature of our needs, which is proportion to the size of population, socio-economic activities and technology; and institutional factors, which provide guidelines and strategies for freshwater management,” the PCSD said.
“In Palawan, the agenda and policies to protect the watersheds and freshwater ecosystems are in place, however, the realities of declining river and groundwater quality and water shortages are still being experienced,” PCSD further said in their policy brief.