Gov’t acts to protect Cagayan de Oro River from pollution

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MANILA, Philippines – Environment officials have begun to keep tabs on the water quality of the Cagayan de Oro River, a popular site for white-water rafters, kayak enthusiasts and river trekkers.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources has designated the river basin located in Northern Mindanao as a “water quality management area” or WQMA to monitor and take action against activities that might compromise its water quality.

Environment Secretary Ramon Paje said the Cagayan de Oro River basin was “by far the largest WQMA designation in terms of the vast distances to be placed under a single WQMA.”

To date, the agency has designated 17 water quality management areas pursuant to the Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004.

“The inclusion of the Cagayan de Oro River and its tributaries on the WQMA list mirrors the government’s high degree of commitment to push sound environmental policies as a pre-requisite to inclusive and sustainable growth,” Paje said in a news release.

The designation of water quality management areas is one of the strategies identified under the Clean Water Act to “improve the water quality of water bodies through focused interventions or actions that are designed to address specific water quality issues of the areas.”

In a recent administrative order, Paje underscored the need to make the 202,400-hectare river basin “a sustaining resource for the people of the city and municipalities of Cagayan de Oro, Misamis Oriental and Bukidnon.”

“This is consistent with our objectives recognizing that water quality management issues are inherently related and cannot be detached from concerns on water sources, ecological protection, water supply, public health of quality of life,” Paje said.

The Cagayan de Oro River basin and its adjacent rivers span at least 219 kilometers, straddling Cagayan de Oro City and the towns of Opol and Tagoloan in Misamis Oriental, and the towns of Talakag, Baungon, Libona and Manolo Fortich in Bukidnon.

Also included in the WQMA are the rivers of Cagayan, Iponan, Umalag, Bigaan, Agusan, Cugman, as well as the coastal area of Macalajar Bay, including its adjacent land and tributaries.

Cagayan de Oro River is famous for white-water rafting, “kayaking” and river trekking. The city government and the Department of Tourism recently made white-water rafting in the river Northern Mindanao’s banner tourism activity.