Gov’t acts to protect ‘sinarapan’ habitat in CamSur

MANILA—The government is working to protect and preserve the waters of Lake Buhi, home of the “sinarapan,” the world’s smallest commercially harvested fish, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources said Friday.

The DENR has designated the Lake Buhi Watershed in Bicol as a “water quality management area” or WQMA in a bid to protect the body of water most famous for hosting the endemic sinarapan, or Mistichthys luzonensis.

On May 27, Environment Secretary Ramon Paje issued an administrative order declaring the new status of the 15,511-hectare watershed found in the municipality of Buhi in Camarines Sur. There are now 16 WQMAs nationwide.

“The number of WQMAs designated so far speaks well of the government’s resolve to improve the conditions for inclusive sustainable growth by establishing efficient resource-use policies that promote high employment economy with social and territorial cohesion,” Paje said in a news release.

He said the administrative order aims to protect and improve the water quality of the lake – an important source of livelihood among local residents – pursuant to Republic Act No. 9275, or the Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004.

Aside from the sinarapan, Lake Buhi is inhabited by other local fish such as mudfish, catfish, tilapia, “Irin-irin,” “puyo,” “kotnag,” and “burirawan.”

The forest surrounding the lake also serves as a sanctuary to at least 25 bird species, including the endemic Philippine pygmy woodpecker, hanging parrot, black-naped monarch, elegant tit and white-eared brown dove.

Other fauna found in the forest are flying lizards, skinks, monitor lizards, civet cats, bats and the Philippine cynomolgus monkey.

At present, the lake is the main source of water for the  National Power Corp.’s hydroelectric plant. It is also used by the National Irrigation Administration to wet farmlands in the surrounding areas.

Paje said designating WQMAs would enable officials at the national and local levels to take “focused interventions” on specific water quality issues relevant to their area.

Under the Clean Water Act, the DENR, in coordination with the National Water Resources Board, is mandated to designate certain areas as WQMAs using appropriate physiographic units such as watershed, river basins, or water resources regions to effectively enforce its provisions and improve the water quality of water bodies.

The DENR and other stakeholders are expected address water quality problems and sources of pollution in the WQMA. They are also tasked with determining appropriate control measures to improve the quality of the waters.