tigum-aganan watershed management project, part 1

Climate Adaptation Flagship

CSIRO-AusAID Alliance Project Tigum-Aganan Watershed Management: Workshop report

Iloilo City, Philippines

Tigum-Aganan Watershed Management Project, Part 1: Exploring vulnerability to climate change Craig Miller, Kim Alexander and Tom Jovanovic A report to AusAID June 2009

Craig Miller, Kim Alexander and Tom Jovanovic June 2009

Supported by the Australian Government, AusAID

Enquiries should be addressed to: Dr Craig Miller CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems

Email: [email protected]

http://www.rfdalliance.com.au

http://www.rfdalliance.com.au/�

Copyright and Disclaimer © 2009 CSIRO To the extent permitted by law, all rights are reserved and no part of this publication covered by copyright may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means except with the written permission of CSIRO.

Important Disclaimer CSIRO advises that the information contained in this publication comprises general statements based on scientific research. The reader is advised and needs to be aware that such information may be incomplete or unable to be used in any specific situation. No reliance or actions must therefore be made on that information without seeking prior expert professional, scientific and technical advice. To the extent permitted by law, CSIRO (including its employees and consultants) excludes all liability to any person for any consequences, including but not limited to all losses, damages, costs, expenses and any other compensation, arising directly or indirectly from using this publication (in part or in whole) and any information or material contained in it.

Citation: Miller, C., Alexander, K.S. Jovanovic, T. (2009) Tigum-Aganan Watershed Management Project, Part 1: Exploring vulnerability to climate change. CSIRO: Climate Adaptation Flagship.

Cover Photograph:

View of Aganan River, Seven Cities, Philippines by Craig Miller, May 2009

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The CSIRO-AusAID Alliance Research has supported the implementation of this research synthesis project as an example of practical research efforts that can inform complex and uncertain management and development decisions in partner countries. CSIRO in collaboration with AusAID, contributes to Research for Development by funding projects designed to use a suite of methods to access information through active participation with stakeholders and to inform policy decisions. Dr Jessica Salas of the Kahublagan sang Panimalay Foundation (Community Movement) initiated the watershed research project and worked tirelessly and diligently to ensure the collaboration was successful. Dr Salas also translated the Executive Summary into Ilonggo, the dialect of the region, and we extend our heartfelt thanks and friendship to her.

We would like to acknowledge the contribution of those who attended the workshops concerning the Tigum-Aganan Watershed in Iloilo City, Panay Island, Philippines. Contributions from the provincial Governor, the Regional Executive Director of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Mayor of Alimodian and other municipal mayors, Tigum-Aganan Watershed Management Board members and local government officials as well as representatives from universities, NGOs and civilian and economic communities were highly valued and have contributed significantly to the knowledge within this report.

We would also like to acknowledge the members of CSIRO who contributed to previous research projects used to inform this research, ‘Regional and Country Scale Water Resource Assessment: Informing Investments in Future Water Supply in the Asia Pacific Region – a Decision Support Tool’ and ‘Climate Change and Ecological Assets in the South East Asia Region, namely Stephen Cook, Bradley Lane, Felix Lipkin, Stewart Burn, Mark Stafford Smith and Trevor Booth. We would also like to thank Ms Tanya Doody (CSE Adelaide) and Sadanandan Nambiar (CSE Canberra) for supplying information on tree water use. We particularly thank Melinda Spink who encouraged the authors to undertake this research project.

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Contents

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS..............................................................................................iv

MALIP-OT NGA MGA PANUGDAON............................................................................3

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................7

1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................11

2. METHOD .............................................................................................................12 2.1 Defining vulnerability............................................................................................... 13 2.2 Vulnerability Workshop........................................................................................... 13

3. TIGUM-AGANAN WATERSHED – environment and issues ...........................14 3.1 Geography .............................................................................................................. 15 3.2 Immediate environmental issues for the Tigum-Aganan Watershed ..................... 16

4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION............................................................................19 4.1 Workshop findings on vulnerability ......................................................................... 19 4.2 Water security......................................................................................................... 24

4.2.1 Water supply and demand .................................................................................. 24 4.2.2 Effect of climate change on water yield............................................................... 26 4.2.3 Effect of vegetation and land use on water yield ................................................. 27 4.2.4 Did reforestation cause the Tigum River to cease flowing in 2000?.................... 31

4.3 Natural hazards – landslides and floods ................................................................ 31 4.4 Livelihoods.............................................................................................................. 33

5. CONCLUSIONS ..................................................................................................34

6. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE FUTURE .......................................................35 6.1 Maasin- protected watershed ................................................................................. 35 6.2 Water security......................................................................................................... 35 6.3 Natural hazards ...................................................................................................... 36 6.4 Creating sustainable livelihoods............................................................................. 37 6.5 Other ....................................................................................................................... 37

7. REFERENCES ....................................................................................................38

Appendix A – Workshop participants .......................................................................41

Appendix B – Workshop process and agenda.........................................................43

Appendix C- Notes from Sub-Component discussions ..........................................47

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List of Figures Figure 1 Municipalities of the Tigum-Aganan Watershed, Panay Island, Philippines 16

Figure 2 Eroding hillsides interspersed with regenerating bush, Seven Cities, Alimodian Municipality. 19

Figure 3 Real Estate sign recognising the desirability of living in a flood free area. 20

Figure 4 Riverbank erosion in the Maasin protected area, exposing the old riverbed and showing the depth of deposited topsoil (approximately 2 metres or 6.5 feet deep). 21

Figure 5 Population growth in Iloilo city and the TAW municipalities. The average growth rate is 1.3%. 24

Figure 6 Total rainfall trends for the TAW during the wet season and dry season, 1972 - 2000 25

Figure 7 Extraction rates (m3/year) of water from the aquifer pumping stations (PS) supplying irrigation and drinking water. 26

Figure 8 Causal loop diagram showing a feedback relationship between rainfall, vegetation, soil infiltration and streamflow. 28

Figure 9 Bamboo harvested from inside the Maasin protected area 30 List of Tables Table 1 Initial identification of current conditions and trends by the workshop participants, with

vulnerability as the unifying theme. 22

Table 2 Maximum (WUmax) and mean water use (WUmean) and maximum (Tmax) and mean (Tmean) transpiration rates, plus standard deviations (n=5), for three species planted in the Maasin protected area1. 31

1BMALIP-OT NGA MGA PANUGDAON

3 Tigum-Aganan Watershed Management: Workshop report, Iloilo City, Philippines

3

MALIP-OT NGA MGA PANUGDAON

Ini nga pagtuon nahimo sa pagpanikasog sang Tigum-Aganan Watershed Management Board (TAWMB), sang Kahublagan sang Panimalay Foundation, kag sang mga pumuluyo sang kapangpangan, sang suba kag mga sapa sang Tigum kag Aganan nga nagalakip sang 8 ka munisipyo kag sang siudad sang Iloilo, sa nasyon Pilipinas. Ini nga pagtuon gin patigayon sang Commonwealth Scientific & Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) Australian Assistance for International Development (AusAID) Alliance, isa ka programa sang gobyerno sang Australia nga naga tulod sa scientipiko nga pagdumala sang pagpatin-ad.

Ang ini nga pagtuon ginpatigayon agud mabuligan ang TAWMB sa paglubad sang nagakalain-lain nga pagangtanay sang mga problema sa kapangpangan ukon watersyed kag mga pagbanggaanay sang paino-ino sa paggamit sang lupa sa sulod sini. Gina saligan nga sa pag bungkag sining kagamuhan, mahimo ang isa ka sadsaran sang mayo nga palaabuton sa polisiya kag pagdumala sang kapangpangan ukon watersyed ilabi na sa sini nga panahon nga ang kalibutan nagaatubang sang makakulugmat nga pagbag-o. Mga pila gid man ka aktibo nga pagbayluhanay kag ensayo (workshop), mga pag suhot sang pamangkutanon ukon FGD kag pag libot sang mga lain-lain nga parte sang watersyed ang ginpatigayon agud makilala sang mayo ang mga problema kag pag baylo baylo sang mga ihibalo. Ang mga workshops ukon pagensayo nag hatag sang mga ihibalo sa nahauna nga pag-usisa sang kahuyang sang watersyed kag sang kinahanglanon sang tubig. Tatlo kapulo kag duha ka tumalambong ang nag upod sa sini nga pamaagi sa sulod sang lima ka adlaw. Wala labot diri ang matutum nga pagkuha sang mga balasahon kag human nga mga datus nga natipon na nga daan sang mga partisipante kag mga ahensya.

Tatlo ka ginapaligban nga mga bagay ang nakita sa pag-usisa sang mga datus sang watersyed. Ini amo ang: (a) seguridad sa tubig, (b) proteksyon sa natural nga kalamidad, kag (c) paghaganhagan sang kaimulon pamaagi sa mapinadayunon nga palangabuhi-an.

Ang nahauna nga ginapalibugan amo ang seguridad sang tubig kag ang pagkama ninit sang ilig sini sa suba sang Tigum umpisa sadtong tuig 2000. Ini nga hitabo ginahambal nga naghalin sa pag suyop sang mga bag-o nga tinanum nga kahoy nga indi duna sa lupa sang Maasin. Ang iban naman nagahambal nga indi ini matuod. Gani, sa pagtuon kag pag isip sang ulan (rainfall data) sa rehiyon kag sang mga impormasiyon sang paggamit sang tubig sang mga kahoy sa isla sang Leyte; nag pakita nga ang pagdula sang tubig sadtong 2000 kag ang pag diutay sang ilig sang tubig sa suba sang Tigum naghalin sa interaksyon sang kahoy kag sang pagnubo sang ulan. Kinahanglan nga ang gina amligan nga lupa (protected area) sang Maasin makahatag sang tubig sa siudad sang Iloilo. Kinahanglan lantawon ang klase sang kahoy nga itanom nga angay sa lupa sang Maasin ilabi na gid nga ginaatubang ang palaabuton nga pagbaylo sang panahon. Ang sobra nga pag-init ukon El Nino isa pa guid ka kausa kon ngaa tagaan naton sang igtalupangod ang kinahanglanon sang tubig.

Ang isa pa ka gina hatagan sang pagtamod amo ang kakulang sang pag pasanyog kag pag asikaso sang mga gamit kag kinahanglanon sa pag tinlo sang tubig, kag ang indi mapinadayunon nga pag kuha sang tubig halin sa idalum duta (aquifers), ilabi na guid sa banwa sang Oton. Magadugang ang ini nga mga kagamhon tungud sa pag taas sang populasyon kag pag saka sang kinahanglanon sang tubig ilimnon kag tubig sa pagpanguma.



Ang Pilipinas isa ka lugar nga maga atubang sang pinakamabaskog nga paghangkat sang paginit sang kalibutan kag pagbaylo sang panahon. Ang mabaskog kag madamo nga bagyo nga nagahapit sa Pilipinas kada tuig maga tuga sang pagbaha sa manubo nga parte sang isla kag magatuga man sang paghulag sang lupa kag pagkalahulog sini halin sa mga kabukiran. Madamo nga mga tao ang nagakuha sang ila pangabuhi-an sa sini nga mga lugar. Ang isa ka sahi sang pagsabat sa sini nga problema amo ang pagpalayo sa sini nga mga lugar. Apang ini nga pamat-od indi magamit sang madamo tungod sang kaimulon. Ang sarang mahimo amo ang pag plano sang isa ka sistema nga magahatag sang maabtik nga pagpaandam kag pagplano sang maabtik nga pagsabat sa mga kalamidad. Ang isa pa ka sarang naton mahimo amo ang pag tulok sa malayo nga palaabuton sang resulta sang ginahimo sang mga tao sa subong nga panahon, pareho abi sang sobra nga pagkuha sang tubig sa idalum lupa (groundwater) kay ini magatuga sang pagkulpa sang lupa. Kon ang pagkulpa yara sa higad sang baybay, maga tuga ini sang dugang nga problema tungud sang pagbaha kag sang pagsaka sang tubig sa oras sang mabaskog nga bagyo. Ini nga kondisyon maga epekto sa palangabuhi-an sang tao.

Tungod sang mga pag-usisa sang mga kondisyones sa kapangpangan sang suba kag sapa sangTigum kag Aganan, may mga buluhaton nga ginaduso sa TAWMB kag AusAID kag sa iban pa nga mga internasyonal nga organisasyon nga nagabulig sa pagpasanyog sang pangabuhi sang tao. Ang ini nga listahan, naga kinahanglan sang pagsabat sang nagakalain-lain nga sector, gani nagakinahanglan sang pag-angtanay sang TAWMB kag iban pa nga mga komunidad kag institusyon sa kapangpangan ukon watersyed.

Mga Ginapangabay nga Pagahimuon

“Maasin protected watershed”

Magtuon kag magtrabaho upod sa TAWMB sa pagbalay sang isa ka “hydrological model” kag “sediment budget” ukon pagtuon sang pag lakat sang tubig kag lupa (erosion) sa sulod sang kapangpangan sang Tigum kag Aganan, angay sa mga nagakala-in lain nga senaryo sang klima kag paggamit sang lupa. Ang pagtuon makabulig pahibalo kung sa di-in nga lugar ang dapat kaayuhon agud ma haganhagan ang pag dagdag sang lupa; kag kon sa di-in man ang sarang magamitan sang agrikultura kag plantasyon sang kahoy. Ini nga pagtu-on makabulig man sa Metro Iloilo Water District kag National Irrigation Administration kag asosyon sang mga mangunguma agud mabuligan sila sa pag plano sang ila pagsabat sa kinahanglanon nga tubig sa nagakalain lain nga senaryo sang klima.

Magtrabaho upod sa Department of Environment and Natural Resources kag Metro Iloilo Water District sa pag himo sang indi simple nga teknolohiya sa pag kuha sang lunang sa tubig bag-o ini magamit sang Metro Iloilo Water District. Halimbawa amo ang paggamit sang “woody debris” ukon mga estraktura sa suba.

Maghimo sang pagtu-on upod ang TAWMB, ang lokal nga komunidad kag lokal nga organisasyon sa pag-usisa kon paano himay-himayon ang panan-aw sang ginatawag nga hustisya para sa tao (social justice); ilabi na gid ang opinyon sang grupo nga nagadumala sang gina-amligad nga bahin sang watershed (protected area).

Maghimayhimay sang mga sarang mahimo nga palangabuhi-an nga naga amlig sang tubig kag nagapa-ayo sang paggamit sang lupa.



5

Seguridad sang Tubig

Magupod sa TAWMB sa pag balay sang epektibo kag komon nga paghaum-haum sang epekto sang pagbaylo kag paginit sang panahon: ano ang resulta sini sa sahi sang paggamit sang lupa (land use and management) kag sang pag-ilig sang tubig sa suba kag pagpana-og sang tubig sa idalum sang lupa.

Magtuon upod sa Metro Iloilo Water District kag upod sa opisina Provincial sang pagplano kag pagbag-o (PPDO) kung paano mag tipig sang tubig, magdumala sang kadamu-on sini, kag paggamit sini upod ang paglantaw sang epekto sang pagbaylo sang panahon, pag damo sang populasyon kag paglimiti sang imprastraktora kag duna nga kadamuon sang tubig sa lupa.

Magdihon sang simple nga teknolohiya sa paggamit pang personal kag pangkomunidad nga pagsalud sang ulan, mga tanke, mga pag tipon sang tubig sa kaumhan kag pagtukod sang hinimo nga hulongan sang tubig (artificial wetland).

Magtuon sang sientepiko nga pagpanaog sang tubig sa idalum sang lupa (recharge rates) sa nagakalain lain nga kondisyon sang panahon kag kon paano mag kuha sang tubig sa mapinadayunon nga pamaagi. Magdihon sang pamaagi sa pag sunod kag pagisip sang kadamuon sang tubig nga nakuha sa idalum lupa kag kon paano mapahaganhagan sang pangkinahanglanon.

Magtuon kung paano mag limpyo kag mag gamit liwat sang tubig nga halin sa ulan nga nag tupa sa lupa, kalsada, kag iba pa nga inprastruktora. Pagaton-an ang limitasyon sini kag gamitan sang simple nga teknolohiya.

Maghimo sang isa ka comprehensibo nga plano sa pagdumala sang watersyed sa diin magasulod ang pagpalabnog sang mga lugar nga alamligan sang nagakaangay nga mga tanum.

Magtukod sang polisiya kung paano ang pagbahin kag pag panagtag sang tubig sa oras nga magakulang na ini sa palaabuton.

Pagapataason ang mayo nga paggamit sang irigasyon, upod ang pag liwat liwat sang paggamit sang tubig, kag paggamit sang mga tanum nga manubo ang kinahanglanon sang tubig.

Natural nga mga kalat-an

Kaayohon ang pag sunod sang ti-on nga pagpaabot (forecast) sang init kag sang baha. Maghimo sang plano sa pag aksyon nga may natigana nga pundo sa pagpatuman sini.

Maghimo sang Early Warning System ukon temprano nga pagpahibalo sa komunidad basi sa kag malayo kag malip-ot nga pag “forecast” sang panahon ukon mga bagyo. Magtukod upod sang mga pumuluyo sa kabukiran sa pag lantaw sang mga makatalagam nga lugar nga ginahugmokan sang mga balay, infrastruktura, o agricultura. Maghimo sang ano man nga bagay sa pag pugong ukon pag haganhagan sang makatalagam nga sitwasyon.

Magbalay kag mag subaybay sang “Early Warning System” ukon maaga nga pagpahibalo sang madasig nga baha sa kabukiran (flash floods). Maghimo sang simple nga teknolohiya kag



paghugpong sang mga tao sa pagpalakat sini, pareho abi sang paggamit sang celfon ukon radio. Ang mga munisipyo sarang makatukod sang 24 ka oras nga pagbantay sa sini nga sistema.

Magpabaskog sang capasidad sa siudad sang Iloilo kag sang mga munisipyo sa pagplano kag pagbantay kon paano ginagamit ang mga kalupaan hingyo sa pagbaylo sang panahon nga nagadala sang natural nga kalalat-an sa populasyon. Mag pabaskog sang panggobyerno hingyo sa tubig. Magbalay sang relasyon sa mga dalagko ukon magagmay nga siudad sa Australia sa pag tuon sang pagplano upod sang mga unibersidad agud magamit ang mga kahigayunan sa pagsanay, pagtu-on (research), kag pagbalay sang “curriculum” sa mga nagaka-angay nga bulothu-an.

Magtanum sa mangroves ukon sa higad dagat agud mabuhin ang pagkadelikado sa sini nga mga lugar kag magbulig padamo ang mga isda, kag mag pugong sang pagpanaog sang lupa nga nagadagdag halin sa kapangpangan. Magamit ini nga palangabuhian sang mga tao nga nagapuyo malapit sa pangpang sang dagat.

Lantawon ang ikasangkul sang paggamit sang pagtago sang tubig sa mga hulongan sang tubig (wetland) sa mga munisipyo agud magahaganhagan ang baha sang siudad kag agud makabulig panumbalik sang tubig sa idalum duta.

Palangabuhi-an nga mapinadayunon

Ang katilingban sang mga mangunguma dapat mag lantaw sang mga ekonomiya kag natural nga paghangkat sang panahon sa agrikultura sa watersyed. Mga importante nga topiko amo ang paggamit sang terraces ukon hagdanan nga lupa sa pag haganhagan sang erosion sang duta kag pag dugang sang produkto, kag pagamlig sang tubig. Ini sarang magamitan sang mga “community organizers”.

Magpatigayon sang isa ka relasyon sa Munisipyo sang Alimodian kag Biological Farmers of Australia (www.bfa.com.au) sa pagtuon sang mabaskog nga pagpanguma - natural. Ang mga unibersidad sarang makatudlo kon paano maggamit sang organic farming.

Mag lantaw sang posibilidad nga ara sa turismo nga nagapalayag sang ecolohiya kag cultura. Mag hangkat sa mga voluntad nga pagtrabaho sa kaumhan kag kabukiran kag mga komunidad sang dumaan nga tribo. Magpalapnag sa pagbaligya sang mga dumaan nga mga produkto sa sining.

Kag iban pa.

Pabaskogon ang capasidad sa pagplano kon paano mag andam sang lupa kag tubig sa kaumhan kag mag patuman sang polisiya sa populasyon kag pagpalapad sang siudad sa mga tupad nga munisipalidad.

http://www.bfa.com.au/�

2BEXECUTIVE SUMMARY


7

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This report describes the results of research conducted with the Tigum-Aganan Watershed Management Board (TAWMB) and watershed stakeholders in Iloilo City, Philippines. The research was funded by the CSIRO-AusAID Alliance; an Australian government partnership established to engage scientists and AusAID staff in research for development initiatives.

The research was initiated to assist the TAWMB in resolving a number of complex issues associated with watershed management and land use conflicts, and to provide a baseline for future watershed policy, management, and research in the face of climate change. A series of interactive workshops, focus group discussions and a fieldtrip were used to clarify the issues of concern and to allow the collaborative sharing of information. The workshops also provided data for a preliminary vulnerability and water needs analysis. Thirty two participants engaged in the process for part or the whole of the five day workshop.

The key issues identified were: ensuring water security, protection from natural hazards, and poverty reduction through sustainable livelihoods.

The initial concerns around water security stemmed from the loss of water in the Tigum River during the 2000 dry season. This was attributed by some to the interception of rainfall and subsequent evapotranspiration by exotic trees planted in the Maasin protected area. Others challenged this interpretation. Rainfall data for the region and data on tree-water use from the island of Leyte suggest that the loss of water in 2000 and the reduced availability during subsequent years is due to the interaction of tree-water use and reduced rainfall in the preceding years. Future management of the Maasin protected area to ensure continued water supply to Iloilo City will need to consider the vegetation type in light of climate change projections for the region. El Nino droughts, in particular, are likely to cause problems for water supply in the following years.

Associated issues are the inadequate resources available for the development and maintenance of water treatment and supply infrastructure, and the non-sustainable extraction of water from aquifers, particularly in Oton Municipality. These issues will need to be confronted as the population continues to grow and demand for drinking and irrigation water increases.

The Philippines is a dynamic environment, subject to extreme climatic events. Typhoons are common, leading to flooding in the lowlands and landslides in the mountains. Many people live in and derive their livelihoods from places in the landscape that are vulnerable to such events. For many, the option to avoid these locations is unavailable due to poverty. Consequently there is a need for improved hazard warning and response processes in these environments. But the real solution is to address the socio-economic factors that cause vulnerability, rather than relying on immediate disaster response, as is currently the case. Other vulnerabilities can be addressed through better land use planning in more affluent environments, such as in Iloilo City, and through recognising the long term consequences of current non-sustainable resource use and managing demand. For example, excessive extraction of groundwater has the potential to cause ground subsidence in the coastal plains, increasing the flooding risk due to sea level rise and storm events, as well as impacting on livelihoods and food security.

2BEXECUTIVE SUMMARY


A package of recommendations is proposed for consideration by the TAWMB, and as a potential portfolio for investment by AusAID and other international aid programs. The portfolio is multi-scaled and relies on an effective partnership with the TAWMB and communities and institutions within the watershed.

Recommendations

Maasin- protected watershed • Clarify the relationship between the Protected Area Management Board of Maasin

Watershed, established by an Act of Government, and the Tigum-Aganan watershed Management Board (TAWMB), established under the Local Government Code.

• Work with TAWMB to model the hydrological and sediment budgets for the watershed under various climate and land management scenarios in order to inform land use planning and implementation in the catchment. The modeling can help inform where to revegetate to reduce erosion and where agriculture or plantation forestry can best occur. It will also help the Metro Iloilo Water Department and the Irrigation Association plan for water supply management under variable conditions.

• Work with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Metro Iloilo Water Department to develop low technology options for desilting water instream before water off takes, e.g. creating roughness instream through woody debris or manufactured structures.

• Engage in participatory research with TAWMB, local community organisations, and the community to explore resolution of perceptions of social injustice around management and regulation of the protected area.

• Explore livelihoods options that protect water supply and improve land management. Water security

• Work with TAWMB to develop better and common understanding of the effect of climate change, El Nino conditions, and land management on river flow and aquifer recharge dynamics.

• Establish and resource a committee within the TAWMB to develop and oversee the monitoring of recharge and extraction of groundwater.

• Work with the Metro Iloilo Water Department and the Governors office to develop plans and policies for conservative supply and demand management in the face of climate change, increased population, and limited infrastructure/resource base.

• Develop low technology options for personal or community rainwater harvesting, with tanks, impoundment in rice paddies or created wetlands, etc.

• Model the recharge rates of groundwater under various climate scenarios and sustainable extraction rates. Develop monitoring capacity to trigger reduced extraction, and policies to manage demand.

• Explore the potential to treat and recycle stormwater and/or sewage for use in irrigated agriculture in the lowlands, or to be injected into aquifers for recharge. There will be a need to look at infrastructure and maintenance limitations, as well as seeking low technology options.

2BEXECUTIVE SUMMARY


9

• Develop comprehensive watershed management plans to revegetate protected areas with suitable vegetation types.

• Develop policy for providing for water allocations under variable climatic conditions.

• Increase the efficiency of irrigation, including water recycling and reticulation. Convert to low water use crops.

Natural hazards • Improve the monitoring and forecasting of droughts and floods, and establish action

plans with dedicated resourcing for their implementation. • Develop early community warning system based on medium to long range weather

forecasts of impending storm events. Work with upland communities to identify risk zones for houses, infrastructure, and agriculture, and develop affordable options for mitigation or adaptation.

• Develop and implement early warning system for flash floods in the uplands. Have mutual technological and networked human based options. The technological option should be low tech, easily maintained, and physically robust; possibly based on mobile phone technology or mountain radio technology. Municipalities to have adequate response policies, including 24 hour monitoring, networked warning of communities, community response strategies, etc.

• Build capacity of Iloilo City and Municipalities to plan for and regulate land use in the face of climate change, known hazards, and population growth. Ensure adequate governance. Develop relationship between planning departments of major and minor cities in Australia, involving opportunities for exchange of staff both ways. Establish relationship between planning departments in Australian universities and local Universities for training, research, curriculum development etc.

• Replant mangroves to reduce storm damage to coastal areas, but also to improve fisheries and sediment trapping. Use this process as a direct and indirect livelihoods enhancement program.

• Examine the options for floodwater diversion or storage in wetland systems in surrounding municipalities to reduce peak flow at Iloilo City and to recharge aquifers.

Creating sustainable livelihoods • Implement farmer collectives in conjunction with the municipalities to work together to

understand and address the environmental and economic challenges facing agriculture in the watershed. Facilitators experienced in community engagement and sustainable agriculture should be employed for this purpose. One of the most important initial topics for discussion would be the use of terrace farming in the uplands of Alimodian, Leon, and Cabatuan municipalities to reduce erosion and increase productivity. The collectives could also engage in experimenting with dry season crops, water conservation etc. Involve the local Universities in research and learning associated with this.

• Establish a relationship between Alimodian Municipality and the Biological Farmers of Australia (www.bfa.com.au) to develop improved and profitable organic farming practices. Encourage and facilitate organic farmers to establish co-operatives for producing and marketing produce. Involve the local Universities in research and teaching associated with profitable organic farming.

2BEXECUTIVE SUMMARY


• Explore the development of ecotourism (including the possibilities and pitfalls), cultural tourism, and/or community/volunteer tourism with upland and/or indigenous communities. Explore the marketing of arts, crafts, produce or tourism to a wider audience through 'novel' means, e.g. the internet. Explore other livelihoods options with communities.

Other • Improve planning capacity to protect valuable farmland and implement appropriate

development for population growth and/or urban expansion in surrounding municipalities.

3BINTRODUCTION


11

1. INTRODUCTION

Countries in the Asia-Pacific region face many pressing social, economic and environmental issues. New ways of thinking and acting are required given the complexity of the issues and the fact that these problems remain problems despite the huge amounts of development aid invested in attempting to solve the problems to date (Sachs 2008). As a consequence, the AusAID-CSIRO Alliance (hereafter referred to as the Alliance) is investing in research for development in order to better inform community and government responses.

The Philippines is one of Australia’s five largest development aid partners. Consequently, when a request for assistance from the Tigum-Aganan Watershed Management Board (TAWMB), Panay Island, was received, the Alliance executive made a strategic decision to fund a small scoping study that would apply and test two research approaches that had been developed in Stage 1 of its program. Dr Jessica Salas, immediate past chairperson of the TAWMB, had found reference to this work on the internet and had sought more information. The response and investment made by the Alliance in conducting the scoping study was part of its Pathways to Impact strategy.

The Tigum-Aganan watershed supplies water to up to 700,000 people, including the population of Iloilo City. Concerns over the capacity of the watershed to ensure water security and livelihoods have resulted in a number of policy responses including the legal protection and revegetation of a watershed area and the establishment of the TAWMB. The Tigum-Aganan Management Board (TAWMB) is composed of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Regional Executive Director, Iloilo Governor, Mayors of the 9 member municipalities, national government agencies such as Department of Agriculture, Philippine Information Agency, NEDA, Philippine National Police, National Irrigation Administration, Public Works and Highways, Department of Education, civil/private society, particularly the Kahublagan sang Panimalay Foundation, universities, business clubs and the Metro Iloilo Water District (MIWD). The cessation of water supply to the city for three months in 2000, and subsequent ongoing shortages during the following dry seasons, due to non-existent flow in the Tigum River near the city’s off-take has generated controversy and arguments over who and/or what has been responsible for the water shortage and what the solution is.

A five day workshop was conducted in order to clarify the issues, seek common understanding and to support further cooperative stakeholder management of the Tigum-Aganan Watershed between the municipalities and city, government and non government organisations, and the community. The workshop also sought to provide scientific information and identify various methods that could be used to make appropriate decisions about land use, natural resource management, and investment in infrastructure.

The research and its findings are provisional, given the extraordinary scope and need to access reliable and accurate secondary documentation within the time limitations. In particular, time series data of water flows etc which were not readily available at the time of the project. Further participatory research will be required to adequately address the issues, results and recommendations identified in this study.

4BMETHOD


2. METHOD

Initial contact with this report’s authors was made through a query from a representative of the TAWMB, Dr Jessica Salas. The planning of research activities was conducted via email and assisted by accessing specific secondary data, in an iterative and supportive manner prior to conducting a five day workshop. Participants were invited to contribute to the workshop based on their involvement in watershed management and/or regulatory roles. Selection was through a purposive1 process, orchestrated by a senior, prominent TAW Board member. Up to 32 participants attended the workshops, including the Mayor of Alimodian, Tigum Aganan Watershed Management Board members and local government officials as well as representatives from universities, NGOs and civilian and economic communities (Appendix A). Political interest in the issues was also highlighted in short meetings with the Provincial Governor, the Regional Executive Director of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and several municipal mayors.

Initially, members of the core team and extended core team, (identified in Appendix A) met for participatory planning and to brief the project team. Several activities were undertaken during the 5 days, including focus groups discussions and interactive workshops with the watershed management board and other stakeholders (Appendix B). In the workshops, a participatory and deliberative process was used to examine the vulnerability of the people and their environment to climate associated issues, and then to inform a multi criteria analysis of the water needs of the watershed. In addition, complex systems dynamics were explained and the future possibility of using mediated system dynamics modelling to further explore the issues was discussed.

Methods applied in Climate Change and Ecological Assets in the South East Asia Region (Miller et al. 2009) and Regional and Country Scale Water Resource Assessment: Informing Investments in Future Water Supply in the Asia Pacific Region – a Decision Support Tool (Alexander et al. 2008; Moglia et al. 2008) were used to assess the social, economic and environmental issues impacting on the Tigum-Aganan Watershed.

The Climate Change and Ecological Assets in the South East Asia Region project adapted a systematic classification process to explore ways to assess regional vulnerability to climate change and the impact on human populations (Miller et al. 2009). This process allowed participants to systematically consider the effects of climate change and how communities, industries and governments might respond to identified issues. The method was previously used with representatives from 4 countries, Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam and Cambodia.

The Regional and Country Scale Water Resource Assessment project investigated complex water-related issues occurring in countries and regional areas using global data sets and other information sources as inputs for decision support.

Knowledge gleaned from the decision support method and evidence-based information directed a broader process of engagement with stakeholders in the Tigum-Aganan Watershed. Adaptation of the method provided an opportunity for an in-depth exploration of issues in the watershed, and to investigate the capability of the decision support process in a smaller scale

1 Qualitative methodological term, where selection of participants occurs through association rather than through randomised sampling from the population.

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geographical area. The information gained from this process with the workshop participants was critical in identifying information needs and in developing the recommendations for action.

Alexander et al. (2009b) have described the deliberative process used to facilitate exploration of environmental issues in the watershed. The ongoing development and refinement of the decision-making process incorporating an engagement capability provides practical examples of the usefulness and application of research investments by AusAID. This research shows the practical benefits of accessing relevant information and developing inclusive processes to inform development decisions. In particular, the case study in the Tigum-Aganan Watershed, has described how to operationalise methods, provide an opportunity to access reliable data sources and information, use an information system for knowledge management and further encourage collaborative efforts with water managers in partner countries.

We have separated the studies into two reports, this one and Alexander et al. (2009a). The size of the combined report was considered unwieldy and we did not want people to lose the relevant threads. The two reports are complementary, and by necessity contain some information in common.

2.1 Defining vulnerability

Vulnerability is usually defined as the susceptibility to be harmed (Adger 2006). There are a number of variations of this definition, applied to specific situations, but they all tend to consider the stress to which a system is exposed, its sensitivity, and its capacity to adapt (Adger 2006; Eakin and Luers 2006). For example, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change considers that vulnerability to climate change is the degree to which a system is susceptible to and is unable to cope with the adverse effects of climate change (McCarthy et al. 2001). From a risk management perspective, vulnerability is considered to be the residual risk of harm once all possible or practical actions have been undertaken to reduce risk (Mark Howden, personal communication, 2008).

Much of the current scientific debate on vulnerability is how best to characterise or operationalise it and most studies struggle to find suitable or generalisable vulnerability metrics (Adger 2006; Eakin and Luers 2006). This is because vulnerability is a dynamic phenomenon, where the biophysical and social processes that shape local conditions and determine adaptive capacity are constantly interacting and changing. Adaptive capacity is the ability of a system to evolve in order to expand the range of variability with which it can cope, such as being able to accommodate environmental hazards or policy change (Adger 2006). The vulnerability of the Tigum-Aganan Watershed and its people is a consequence of the exposure and sensitivity of the biophysical elements of the watershed to acute weather events or chronic climatic conditions, and to the range of social, political, and economic conditions that facilitate or constrain adaptation of those systems

2.2 Vulnerability Workshop

Assessing the vulnerability of the TAW and identifying options to reduce vulnerability is a multi-stage process. Open-ended discussions and identification of current conditions through a

5BTIGUM-AGANAN WATERSHED – ENVIRONMENT AND ISSUES


specifically targeted workshop process to explore and quantify vulnerability, in conjunction with a systematic social-ecological analysis was used. The respective results of this process will be iteratively assessed by the workshop members, in an ongoing dialogue.

The workshop group collectively decided the key issues of concern in the watershed were water security, natural hazards, and livelihoods. These three issues are likely to be affected by climate change and land use decisions made by individuals, communities and government agencies. The complexity of these issues and the efficacy of potential solutions required a whole of systems approach, rather than focussing on any one issue and attempting to solve it in isolation from the other issues.

The open-ended workshop process involved the expanded stakeholder group (Appendix A) working with maps of the TAW and noting down vulnerability issues within their municipalities of interest. The individual groups then reported back to the whole workshop and issues raised were discussed by the group. The focussed workshop had the extended working group scoring a number of criteria within six modules to develop the Water Needs Index (Part 2, Alexander et al. 2009a; Appendix C). Vulnerability was one of the modules. The benefits of an open-ended dialogue allowed for expression of concerns, a broad platform of discussion and allowed the group to focus on the watershed as a whole rather than remaining constrained by individual perspectives. Both methods contributed to mutually exploring similarities and differences experienced in geographical areas and across sectors of the watershed.

Due to time constraints in obtaining adequate data prior to commencement of the workshop, the initial provisional systematic social-ecological assessment (Miller et al. 2009) was limited in scope. As the workshop continued it became apparent that the process of generating a social ecological classification of the watershed, using GIS, was unnecessary. At the watershed level, the environments of interest were the moderate to steep uplands and the flat lowlands. The relevant social-ecological groups within these environments were determined to be agriculture, urban, and protected watershed.

Ideally, the workshop would have had the classifications and the trends to work with to develop an integrated response package, but due to time constraints the workshop attempted to record data and information rather than develop an integrated response package at that point. Consequently, this report will be the first opportunity for the workshop participants to evaluate the proposed response package. It is hoped that it will be possible to work through the trends and proposed response package in an iterative manner with the TAWMB.

3. TIGUM-AGANAN WATERSHED – ENVIRONMENT AND ISSUES

A watershed, otherwise known as a water catchment2, is an entire geographical area drained by a river and its tributaries. The Tigum-Aganan Watershed bounds two rivers, the Tigum and Aganan, which arise in the central mountain range (Cordillera) of Panay Island, Philippines

2 The term watershed is most commonly used in North America, whereas the terms catchment and drainage basin are more commonly used in Australia. The terms are interchangeable, although drainage basin may indicate a larger spatial unit than the other two terms.



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(Figure 1). These rivers meet approximately 17 kilometres from the coast and become the Jaro River, which flows into the ocean at Iloilo City. More recently some organisations have been referring to the Jaro River Watershed, which is technically correct (Jessica Salas, pers. comm. 2009). However, the community and the TAWMB nominally regard the Tigum-Aganan Watershed as the focus for action and identity for over10 years, as will this study. The TAW covers part or all of the municipalities of Alimodian, Maasin, Santa Barbara, Pavia, San Miguel, Cabatuan, Leon, Oton, and Iloilo City (Figure 1).

3.1 Geography

The watershed is characterised by a high mountain range, comprised of metamorphic sediments, low moderately sloped limestone foothills, and a broad alluvial plain. The plains are derived from Quaternary alluvial deposits over a deep tertiary age sedimentary basin (Geological map of Iloilo 1996). The Philippines retains less than 5% of its original forest cover, and has continued high rates of forest destruction (Lasco et al. 2001; Laurance 2007). Despite this forest loss, the Philippines is a global hotspot for tropical forest biodiversity (Myers et al. 2000). Original forest cover remains in the steep mountain tops of the watershed, but the remainder from the tree line to the coast is a mosaic of secondary forest and scrublands, agricultural land and associated vegetation, and bamboo plantations. An aerial survey of Panay Island in 1985 showed that the greatest concentration of bamboo in the Philippines was in Iloilo Province (Serrano 1985); Maasin municipality is the hotspot for bamboo production in the watershed.

The port city of Iloilo, Panay Island in the Western Visayas, has a population of approximately 400,0003, and is the commercial, cultural and intellectual hub of the island. The city sources water from the Tigum-Aganan Watershed and residents have been subject to poor water quality, lack of sanitation, increasing siltation, decreasing water availability, groundwater contamination, the threat of saltwater intrusion into the aquifer and catastrophic floods as well as droughts. The productivity of the river has been compromised by headwater surges, pollution from mining activities, riverbank erosion, reduced fish habitat and the relentless impacts of urban migration. The Tigum River ceased to flow at the weir that provides Iloilo City with water, in the 2000 dry season. Consequently the city was without water for three months. A severe typhoon in 2008 damaged regional infrastructure and ecosystems and has mobilised vast amounts of sediment that now flow in the Tigum River. Natural hazards such as landslides and erosion are exacerbated by heavy rains in the uplands, threatening the lives and livelihoods of village communities. Over exploitation of resources, social injustices, indigenous welfare, problematic governance and rural poverty are embedded issues in the management of the watershed.

Iloilo Province is considered the food basket of the Western Visayas, and is a leading producer of rice (National Statistic Coordination Board 2009). High value vegetable crops and tropical fruits such as banana and coconut are also grown. Irrigation water is sourced directly from the Tigum and Aganan Rivers, using traditional native, communal and contemporary irrigation practices, and from groundwater sources, particularly in Oton municipality. The majority of the region’s rainfall occurs during the wet season (May to November), with typhoons inducing heavier rainfalls. The dry season predominates from December to April. Mean daily and 3 www.census.gov.ph/data/census2007/index.html.



seasonal temperatures range from fluctuate from the mid twenties to mid thirties in degrees Celsius. The 2007 national census identified that Iloilo Province had a population of nearly 1.7 million people, with the TAW supporting a total population of approximately 700 000, and with 400 000 living in Iloilo City 2 (Figure 5). The population growth rate for the Province is 1.26%4

Figure 1 Municipalities of the Tigum-Aganan Watershed, Panay Island, Philippines

3.2 Immediate environmental issues for the Tigum-Aganan Watershed

The TAWMB identified two pressing and unresolved environmental management problems for the watershed prior to the workshop. These were:

1. “A portion of the reserved watershed for potable water for the city was changed into a plantation of alien species and bamboos. One group claims that this plantation got all the water which resulted in a 55% loss of water supply. The representatives of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources that established this plantation claim that this is not

4 http://www.exploreiloilo.com/2007-iloilo-population-census-released.html



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true because trees supply water and besides, there is no scientific study saying these plants will result in a loss of water. The trees resulted in a forest cover. Everyone believes that we should plant trees in order to have water. Some representatives of Department of Environment and Natural Resources claim that it must be an earth movement or an earthquake that caused this loss of water.

2. The water district (company distributing water) experiences great amounts of silt as it processes water. Everyday they take 1 metric ton of silt from their silting pond. One group says this is caused by the loss of nutrients in the soil, made by trees but not replaced because the trees are exotic species and the ground has no decomposers. Department of Environment and Natural Resources representatives say that this is due to the geologic profile which was exposed during Typhoon Frank. Typhoon Frank brought down to the city 71,000 trees from the old growth forest and 100,000 cubic metres of soil.”

Clarification was sought on these issues on the initial day of the workshop, first with the immediate members of the TAWMB and subsequently with the larger group of stakeholders. These groups identified that the concerns were with ensuring adequate supplies of water for Iloilo City and the municipalities given the demand was greater than supply from Metro Iloilo Water Department (MIWD) and that water was in particularly short supply during the dry season (December to April). This was leading to increased reliance on groundwater, particularly sourced from Oton municipality, and raised the threat of saltwater intrusion into the aquifer as or if groundwater levels dropped.

We discussed the concerns around the planting of non native trees in the Maasin protected area and the relationship of these to declining water in the watershed. Over several days it became apparent that there were two very real issues at play. The first was that people suspected that non native trees did in fact take more water from the soil than native trees. The second issue was one of social justice. The Maasin watershed had been legally protected to ensure a potable water supply for Iloilo City and municipalities, consequently village communities within the protected area were evicted and forest restoration was planned. The restoration efforts were not successful, for a number of social and historic reasons (Salas 2008). Interestingly, historic context has been found to be a significant contributor to the success or otherwise of watershed management in the adjacent Central Visayas (Walters et al. 1999).

Subsequently, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources permitted the development of an industrial plantation of bamboo within the protected area to supply a factory within the Maasin municipality. This was seen to be contrary to the spirit and intent of protecting the watershed in the first place. It was felt that, if plantation forestry could occur within the protected area, the villagers could have been allowed to stay, albeit with changes to their farming and waste disposal practices if necessary. Social justice concerns permeated many discussions. Several members of the Bukidon tribe remain inside the Maasin watershed reservation, nearly all households of Umingan village still farm inside the watershed and half Trangka households reside inside the reserved area (Republic of Philippines 2007). In other villages the number of minorities ousted from their farms in the protected watershed remains undetermined.

The issue of sediment in the Tigum and Aganan rivers was briefly discussed and the possible relationships of this with non native trees. Concerns over natural hazards recently experienced



by residents were raised, such as Cyclone Frank, landslides and geographical fault activities, but were not explored in depth.

Sustainable management of the watershed was high on the agenda, and a common understanding of the main issues of the watershed was iteratively developed using participatory workshop activities. A fieldtrip into the uplands, the location of the protected area of the headwaters, further stimulated discussions and interpretation of the biophysical and socio-economic aspects of the riverine ecosystem. Social justice issues and possible agricultural and development opportunities for remote communities were also highlighted during the field trip.

6BRESULTS AND DISCUSSION


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4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

4.1 Workshop findings on vulnerability

The working groups identified a suite of interrelated vulnerability issues and events in the Tigum-Aganan Watershed (Table 3), and identified where they felt people were most exposed and/or vulnerable to these issues and events, using watershed maps. These vulnerabilities were then ranked as part of the Water Needs Index process (Part 2, Alexander et al. 2009a; Appendix C).

The key vulnerabilities of (i) inadequate water supplies and (ii) exposure to natural hazards affected livelihoods, and the scale of vulnerability depended on where people lived in the watershed, how they obtained their livelihood, and their socio-economic status. For example, vulnerability to landslides was greatest in the mountainous region of the Alimodian and Leon municipalities and tended to affect poor villagers involved in subsistence and market agriculture (Table 1). Many of the farmers in the uplands have low technical skills and this has resulted in non sustainable land use practices, such as hill slope farming or the excessive use of agricultural chemicals, leading to erosion, pollution and possible health issues. Some farmers in Alimodian have moved to organic farming in order to improve the health of their communities, effectively reducing their income but also reducing their input costs (Mayor Alipao, pers. comm. 2009). Slash and burn agriculture is still practiced by some farmers (known as kaingeneros) and this leads to the ongoing loss of primary or regenerating forest in the steep areas affecting biodiversity values and increasing erosion (Figure 2). There is also the concern that future mining in the region may displace the indigenous and farming communities, lead to pollution, and reduce the supply of agricultural produce.

Figure 2 Eroding hillsides interspersed with regenerating bush, Seven Cities, Alimodian Municipality.

Similar environmental concerns were expressed for Maasin, although livelihoods and social justice were the key issues. Poverty is problematic, which suggests that enterprises (such as



bamboo plantations within the protected watershed area) may be permitted even if they potentially contravene the spirit of the protection order, and despite the enaction of protection displacing many farming communities.

Vulnerability to flooding was greatest in the lowlands of Iloilo City and surrounding municipalities such as Pavia. Indeed, some subdivisions are attractive purchases when deemed to be located outside of the flood zone (Figure 3). Ironically, the namesake of the subdivision in Figure 3 is the flooded City of Venice, Italy. Conversely, we observed low lying floodplain areas that were designated for future housing development, despite the high likelihood of future floods in these areas. Poor communities, including squatters, occupying the margins of water courses were most likely to be affected by bank full floods, while major areas of the city remain vulnerable to floods of the scale generated by Cyclone Frank in June 2008. There are currently programs in place to relocate squatters from the riverbanks (Jessica Salas pers. comm.).

Figure 3 Real Estate sign recognising the desirability of living in a flood free area.

Flood events were also observed to increase the erosion of riverbanks in the municipalities surrounding Iloilo City. This is a concern because of the loss of agricultural land, infrastructure, and dwellings. Riverbank erosion in the Maasin protected area also demonstrates the scale of sediment deposition on the old riverbed (Figure 4) indicating that the river has historically carried and deposited significant quantities of sediment.

Urban expansion into the agricultural regions surrounding Iloilo City is taking over formerly productive land. Consequently, agriculture is moving into the uplands, with serious implications for the current social dynamics of upland communities, and putting further pressure on scare land resources. The loss of agriculture in these municipalities is likely to have consequences for the future supply of food to the city, although the relatively low poverty index experienced by some municipalities indicates the financial capacity for buying imported food. This is likely to raise food costs and further disadvantage the urban poor.



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Figure 4 Riverbank erosion in the Maasin protected area, exposing the old riverbed and showing the depth of deposited topsoil (approximately 2 metres or 6.5 feet deep).

Water for irrigation and drinking water is currently sourced from aquifers and the Tigum and Aganan Rivers. Concerns were expressed at the unsustainable rate of water extraction and possible salt water intrusion into aquifers, fouling the water and resulting in water unsuitable for either agriculture or drinking. Indeed, the rate of extraction has been reduced as a consequence of low recharge over the last few years (Figure 6). Other concerns were mooted including the; (i) possibility of land subsidence from over extraction, (ii) lack of integrated planning, (ii) poor resources at government, community and individual levels, and (iv) general disregard for regulations among the community, would mean that the people and enterprises of the catchment are vulnerable to climate change, particularly if this leads to reductions in the supply or quality of water and increased incidence of natural disasters.



Table 1 Initial identification of current conditions and trends by the workshop participants, with vulnerability as the unifying theme.

Municipality Upland conditions Trends Leon High incidence of poverty.

Poor technical knowledge of appropriate land use practices, including slash and burn agriculture, and forest protection and rehabilitation. Soil resource not protected. Vulnerable to soil erosion and landslides, mudslides. Lack of livelihood opportunities. Water scarcity, ground water supplies Chemical farming pollution (fertilizers and pesticides) Farming in high mountainous regions

Increasing population and poverty levels. Encroachment into forest – involving tree poaching or slash and burn agriculture.

Alimodian Uplands vulnerable to flooding and landslides – due to steep slopes, seismic activities and landscape attributes, improper land use and inadequate planning. Inadequate disaster risk management planning and preparedness. Poverty and religious beliefs constrain responses or action. Water scarcity in the major urban centre in Poblacion village. High value vegetable growing in uplands. Farm size > 1 ha on average Reforestation in some villages Riverbank erosion, scouring, severe flooding Indigenous people of the Seven Cities Instream and riverbed quarrying Possible future mining for gold, silver and nickel in uplands Desire in upland communities for other economic opportunities, e.g. ecotourism. Typhoon destruction of rice beds (now quarry).

Increased organic farming and reduced use of chemicals.

Maasin Bamboo production and charcoal making primary livelihood source. Some occupants in forest watershed reserve – many resettled or now landless, illegal land use. High poverty index. Livelihoods in restricted area. Bioprospecting and potential exploitation of natural resources in uplands Non native trees planted in watershed reserve Plantation forestry for private benefit in watershed reserve yet farming families removed to protect water Riverbank erosion

Increasing population



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Landslides Municipality Lowland conditions Trends Cabatuan Agriculture prime means of livelihood with open grasslands, rice paddies. Low productivity in mountains.

Riverbank erosion, siltation Soil erosion,

Increasing population

Santa Barbara Agricultural area giving way to urban development Livelihoods – professionals, farmers, businessmen, Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) Low poverty index Has a zero waste program Farm size average 2-5 ha Riverbank erosion Private quarrying

Reduction in agricultural land

Pavia Becoming an industrialised municipality Increasing population from in-migration

In migration Increasing subdivision

Oton/ San Miguel Agricultural land converted to residential. Major rice production area of Iloilo Province Complete reliance on groundwater to meet agricultural and urban demand – possible risk of saltwater intrusion. 70% of supply for agriculture comes from Aganan River. Rain fed agriculture Farm size average 2-5 ha Increasing population from in-migration

In migration from other areas Increasing rainwater harvesting. Rejuvenation of coastal zone.

Iloilo City Urban poverty; crime, drug addiction; air pollution; insufficient potable water; exposure to flash floods; squatters; high population and unemployment; high day population; truancy and withdrawal from school; loss of mangroves to fish ponds and salt beds; water pollution (inadequate water treatment); lack of green space; siltation of rivers, estuary, and coastal areas; derelict boats in estuary; power brown outs; high energy costs; poor health and sanitation services and practices; lack of political will to address solid waste issues; obstruction of water flow. mining, bank erosion.; Wetlands turned into subdivisions; Coastal areas seawater intrusion; resettlement of riverbank squatters.

Increasing settlement within flood zone of creeks (squatters); economic growth pre-2008 flood



4.2 Water security

Ensuring water security for the people of the Tigum-Aganan Watershed now and into the future is a key goal of the Tigum-Aganan Watershed Management Board.

4.2.1 Water supply and demand

Water supply issues include (i) demand exceeding supply particularly during reduced dry season flows, (ii) inadequate infrastructure, (iii) limited revenue base for upgrading and maintenance, (iii) concerns over saltwater intrusion into groundwater supplies, and (iv) reduced water quality due to sedimentation, nutrients, pesticides, sewage and other pollutants. The demand for water is expected to continue to increase as the population increases in Iloilo City and the surrounding villages (Figure 5).

0

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Figure 5 Population growth in Iloilo city and the TAW municipalities. The average growth rate is 1.3%.

Climate change is projected to increase rainfall intensity in the wet season, although a declining trend was noted from 1972-20005 (Figure 6). Typhoons are known to increase rainfall intensity, and there have been a number of storm events, including Cyclone Frank, that have increased wet season rainfall over the last few decades. Metro Iloilo Water Department does not have the infrastructure to harvest and store any excess water generated during typhoon enhanced monsoons, and these storms also increase the amount of suspended sediment which stresses the

5 Rainfall data for the last decade is unavailable, so we are unable to determine whether this trend has continued.



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capacity of the system to provide potable water (Olive Ledesma, Metro Iloilo Water Department, pers. comm.).

0

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Figure 6 Total rainfall trends for the TAW during the wet season and dry season, 1972 - 2000

El Niño events cause intense droughts, reducing the availability of water, particularly during the dry season when the availability of potable water is already reduced. It has already been observed that the recharge of the aquifers is unable to keep up with demand, and the extraction rate from some pumping stations is already declining (Figure 7) (Olive Ledesma, Metro Iloilo Water Department, pers. comm.).



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Figure 7 Extraction rates (m3/year) of water from the aquifer pumping stations (PS) supplying irrigation and drinking water.

4.2.2 Effect of climate change on water yield

The change in rainfall patterns as a consequence of climate change has the potential to stress water supply infrastructure and challenge the capacity to meet water needs during particular times of the year. The fourth assessment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) suggests there will be a broad pattern of wet season rainfall increase and dry season rainfall decrease over much of south east Asia (Christensen et al. 2007). It is also suggested that the northern part of south east Asia, incorporating the Philippines, will be most affected by any changes in the characteristics of tropical cyclones. While the intensity of these cyclones is projected to increase, there is greater uncertainty about how the occurrence of cyclones will change. Rainfall in the Philippines is currently affected by the El Nino Southern Oscillation, with ENSO occurrences leading to drier than average wet seasons. Just how climate change will affect the ENSO and what this will mean for monsoon variability is not well understood.

There are a number of potential implications of changed rainfall patterns for water supply to the population of the watershed. The Metro Iloilo Water Department extracts water directly from the Tigum River, i.e. it is not dammed and stored. Therefore, the water supply is vulnerable to variability in river flows. Rainfall across the wet season ensures that there is a constant high level of water coming down the river which can be extracted at a rate sufficient to meet water needs. An increase in the frequency of intense rainfall events, without affecting the total rainfall, will lead to an increase in flash flooding followed by lower flows. Water demand is unlikely to match this variability, and the inability to store excess water for use in the dry season will be an ongoing future issue.



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River flow during the dry season is maintained by groundwater entering the river. Intense rainfall events may not recharge groundwater at the rate experienced when rainfall is spread more evenly across the season. Lower than average rainfall during dry seasons may also affect soil porosity and vegetation condition, leading to reduced infiltration rates and groundwater recharge. Lower groundwater recharge will mean lower river flows during the dry season, leading to water shortages.

It is likely that the community or industry response to reduced water availability from the rivers will be an increased demand for water sourced from the aquifers, e.g. from personal wells or the pumping stations in Oton municipality. If the rate of recharge of groundwater is lower than the rate of extraction, due to reduced rainfall or reduced infiltration rates in the watershed, with a concurrent increased need for water for agriculture, groundwater supplies will diminish. This is already being observed, as noted in Section 4.2.1 (below) and Figure 7. This may result in dry wells/bores in many regions and saltwater intrusion into groundwater near the coast. The coastal flooding risk may also be increased if land subsides as a result of over extraction (see Section 4.3). These will have serious, detrimental impacts for the livelihoods of the people of the watershed.

Increased sedimentation within the rivers is also likely to be an issue arising from changes in rainfall patterns. Dry conditions can affect the capacity of vegetation to hold soil, or the capacity of soil to hold itself, often normal as well as intense bursts of precipitation can mobilise and transfer sediments into rivers. This is currently an issue for the Metro Iloilo Water Department, and this is likely to be exacerbated under the climate scenarios without any land use change.

The changing climate may also affect the incidence of droughts. Drought disasters are known to occur more frequently during year two of El Niño warm events in southeast Asia (Dilley and Heyman 1995). In the Philippines, El Niño-induced climate variability usually results in the; (i) late onset of the rainy season, (ii) early termination of the rainy season, (iii) weak monsoon events characterized by isolated heavy rainfall events of short-duration, and (iv) weak tropical cyclone activity characterized by less intense cyclones and fewer tropical cyclones (Lansigan et al. 2000). It is not known whether climate change will affect the frequency or intensity of El Niño events, but changes in rainfall patterns in the TAW are already being observed (Figure 6).

4.2.3 Effect of vegetation and land use on water yield

The water yield from a catchment available for human use is determined by a number of factors including rainfall patterns, catchment vegetation, land use, soil characteristics, and the rate and scale of aquifer recharge. The interrelationships between these factors is summarised in Figure 8, a causal loop model which describes the feedbacks that drive streamflow in the watershed. It is important to explain how to read a causal loop model before examining the dynamical story it conveys.

The labels in the model represent system variables and the arrows represent causal links. The polarity of each link is indicated by a plus (+) or a minus (-) sign. A positive polarity (+) means that an increase/decrease in the value of the variable at the tail of the arrow will lead to an increase/decrease in the value of the variable at the head of the arrow, all things being equal. Conversely, a negative polarity (-) means that an increase/decrease in the value of the variable



at the tail of the arrow will lead to a decrease/increase in the value of the variable at the head of the arrow.

Figure 8 Causal loop diagram showing a feedback relationship between rainfall, vegetation, soil infiltration and streamflow.

There are two types of feedback loops – positive (reinforcing - represented by R) and negative (balancing – represented by B). In Figure 8, an increase in the amount of vegetation, for example, will increase the capacity of the soil for water infiltration. An increase in infiltration leads to an increase in soil moisture and hence promoting an increase in vegetation growth. This is a reinforcing process. However, an increase in vegetation will lead to an increase in evapotranspiration, leading to a decline in soil moisture which inhibits further vegetation growth. This is a balancing process. These two simple feedback loops can result in complex vegetation and soil dynamics.

It is also important to understand that a) there may be other feedback loops operating that aren’t represented in the model, b) there may be thresholds at which the dominance of feedbacks change, e.g. sometimes the rate of rainfall exceeds the capacity of the soil to take it up, leading to overland flow, even if the same quantity could be taken up if it fell over a longer time period. Some parts of the system will also respond more slowly (lag - represented by \\) which will also affect system behaviour. The particular lag in this model will be described below.

The dynamical story represented by this model is that stream flow is a consequence of water reaching the channel via overland flow during rainfall, and from groundwater providing the baseflow at all times. The baseflow of any stream is maintained by groundwater and the rate of input from groundwater is slower than the rate of input from overland flow. Floods are due to excess overland flow, and high water levels can be maintained after rains as excess water is slowly released from the soil into the stream. The soil infiltration rate is a consequence of a number of factors including soil type, the rate of rainfall, and vegetation. Infiltration leads to an increase in soil moisture, which is available for vegetation growth, which feeds back to influence infiltration rate. However, as vegetation grows, the rate of evapotranspiration increases, reducing soil moisture and reducing vegetation growth. Some species of tree can take



29

up to 95% of any precipitation leaving only 5% for recharging groundwater. In addition, the rate and quantity of rainfall changes between wet and dry seasons and between years.

These feedback loops demonstrate why it is not possible to establish a simple linear relationship between rainfall and stream flow, and why changing any one variable, such as vegetation cover, can have long term or delayed impacts on the behaviour of the system as a whole. It is also important to realise that, at the scale of a watershed, the heterogeneous patchwork nature of the landscape means that there will be vast differences in the rate of water entering the soil or stream. For example, overland flow will be greater in steep areas with shallow soils, whereas it will be less in flat areas (often leading to localised surface flooding) or where it is slowed down by terrace agriculture or natural wetlands.

There have been many studies investigating the effect of vegetation and land use on the water yield and flow regime from watersheds, however it is difficult to make quantitative generalisations applicable to all situations (Brown et al. 2005). The effect of vegetation and land use on mean annual flow or yield is reasonably well understood, but seasonal impacts are less well understood. However, the following studies indicate some of the likely dynamics in a tropical watershed in the Philippines.

Surface infiltration after rainfall and evapotranspiration associated with vegetation types play key role in determining what happens to seasonal flow regime, particularly after land use change (Bruijnzeel 1988). Diminished dry season flows will occur if infiltration rate decreases (overland flow exceeds gain in groundwater associated with decreased evapotranspiration). In general, for tropical watersheds, forest cover will increase the proportion of streamflow in the dry season relative to the wet season, as long as there is baseflow from groundwater. The situation will be reversed for non-forested land with lower soil infiltration rates (Bruijnzeel 1990). Absolute dry season flows can be maintained if soil infiltration capacity is maintained, despite changes in forest cover, where decreased evapotranspiration can lead to an increase in soil moisture and deep drainage.

For example, in an area of east Java, Indonesia, forest clearing for dry-land agriculture and urban development resulted in decreased infiltration, which increased surface runoff and reduced soil and groundwater recharge. This has resulted in lower baseflow during the dry season and higher flow during the wet season (Bruijnzeel 1988). Conversely, in Mbeya, Tanzania, the differences in streamflow between a forested and cultivated catchment were primarily due to the differences in dry season transpiration, with little or no change in the surface runoff, as infiltration rates remained unchanged (Edwards 1979). Soil type and depth may also have a greater effect on seasonal yield than on the mean annual yield, depending on infiltration capacity and rate, and the effect of antecedent weather conditions on these factors.

As identified in the Mbeya study (Edwards 1979) land use practices can affect water yield if they affect the rate of soil infiltration. A hypothetical example, relevant to the Maasin protected area, is that infiltration can be reduced and overland flow increased if the harvesting of bamboo (Figure 9) resulted in soil compaction. Conversely, agriculture that relies on the trapping and temporary storage of water, e.g., rice paddies, terrace agriculture, or wetlands protected for nature conservation purposes, can reduce overland flow and increase infiltration. Terrace agriculture in conjunction with inter planting hedgerows, or no till methods of cropping rather



than existing slope agriculture is also likely to play a role in reducing soil erosion in steeper areas.

Figure 9 Bamboo harvested from inside the Maasin protected area

Species-specific tree water use characteristics for the Philippines

One of the main objections to the reforestation in the Maasin protected area is that the growing trees have lead to reduced streamflow through evapotranspiration of soil and groundwater. This is a common concern in the tropics (Bruijnzeel 2004) and various international studies have demonstrated that runoff and streamflow can be reduced by up to 50% following revegetation, with up to 95% of precipitation used for evapotranspiration and hence not available for recharging groundwater in some rainforests (Almeida et al. 2007; Buytaert et al. 2007; Farley et al. 2005). Careful selection of tree species for revegetation or plantation based on their rates of water interception and use are increasingly suggested as a management option for ensuring that adequate streamflow in revegetated watersheds is maintained.

A recent study has shed light on tree water use for a number of species used in reforestation in the Philippines, and was conducted specifically to address such concerns and provide much needed data (Dierick and Hölscher 2009). The study by Dierick and Hölscher includes three of the six tree species planted in Maasin, i.e. mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla), molave (Vitex parviflora), and Gemelina (Gmelina arborea), but not narra (Pterocarpus indicus), teak (Tectona grandis), or rain tree (Samanea saman). Trees such as mahogany (an introduced species) and narra (a native species) have a widespread lateral root system with a large area for sorption of water and nutrients (Castaneto 1997). The results from Dierick and Hölscher (2009) for the three species planted in Maasin are presented in Table 4. The study found wide variability across and within species for most variables, and that maximum water use rates were strongly correlated to tree basal area.

Dierick and Hölscher (2009) only measured individual tree transpiration and not stand level traspiration, but noted that species composition is likely to affect water use dynamics across stands of the species. They conclude that species selection will be an important consideration



31

for ensuring that reforested watersheds can meet supply needs as well as providing habitat for biodiversity, timber, and carbon sequestration. This suggests that the concerns of the TAWMB about the effect of the particular species planted in the Maasin protected area on river flow are warranted, and that further research is required to guide future management of the watershed if it is to meet multiple land use objectives.

Table 2 Maximum (WUmax) and mean water use (WUmean) and maximum (Tmax) and mean (Tmean) transpiration rates, plus standard deviations (n=5), for three species planted in the Maasin protected area1.

Species WUmax (kg d-1) WUmean (kg d-1) Tmax (mm d-1) Tmean (mm d-1)

Mean SD Mean SD Mean SD Mean SD

S. macrophylla 33.7 3.6 25.5 4.1 3.29 2.53 2.50 1.95

V. parviflora 20.7 9.3 30.7 14.6 1.19 0.46 0.80 0.30

G. arborea 19.8 6.1 27.6 7.8 1.90 0.60 1.35 0.42

1The data was obtained from Leyte Island, Eastern Visayas (Dierick and Hölscher 2009).

4.2.4 Did reforestation cause the Tigum River to cease flowing in 2000?

The TAWMB raised concerns that the species selected and planted in the Maasin protected area resulted in the Tigum River ceasing to flow beyond the water intake weir in 2000, leading to the loss of water for Iloilo City. The countervailing view was that other factors were responsible and that there was no scientific evidence to suggest that the trees were responsible.

The preceding sections have demonstrated that the relationship between rainfall, watershed vegetation, and streamflow is complex and is defined by a number of feedback relationships. We have also presented recent research that shows a) that trees can intercept up to 95% of the precipitation received within a watershed, and b) that the species planted in Maasin can intercept and evapotranspire a significant quantity of water (Dierick and Hölscher 2009).

It is likely that the cessation of flow in the Tigum River in 2000 was due to the interaction of two factors: lower than average rainfall in the preceding four wet seasons (Figure 6) and high rates of evapotranspiration in the reforested areas. Consequently the groundwater was not recharged and was therefore unable to supply the baseflow for the Tigum River in the dry season of the year 2000.

There is likely to be adequate water for groundwater recharge during wet, wet seasons, where total precipitation exceeds evapotranspiration, however water supply is likely to be affected in average years, and severely affected in dry years following El Nino conditions.

4.3 Natural hazards – landslides and floods

The Philippines is a dynamic environment, in which several major natural hazards often cause significant social or economic disruption from an extreme event. Disaster management has typically focussed on the perceived risks of rare or extreme events, with responses focussed on



structural and technical solutions. More recently it has been recognised that people’s vulnerability and capacity to proactively respond to risks or reactively respond to events is constrained by social, economic and political conditions (Delfin Jr and Gaillard 2008; Gaillard et al. 2008). As such, natural hazards have the potential to amplify daily hardships rather than perceived as an extreme or rare phenomena. To date the Philippines disaster management system has focussed on immediate disaster response rather than addressing the long-term underpinning factors that cause vulnerability (Delfin Jr and Gaillard 2008).

Delfin Jr and Gaillard (2008) identify that socio-economic measures such as poverty reduction, fair access to land and resources and investment in social services are necessary for reducing vulnerability to natural hazards. They also note that community-based disaster risk management is essential, and suggest that local government units (LGU), e.g., municipalities, should explore the possibility of packaging a proportion of disaster-mitigation capital project appropriation for development activities that reduce underlying vulnerability. Similarly, we note that international development aid could be framed in this light. The following discussion examines some of the causal factors and risks associated with a number of natural hazards facing the people of the TAW, i.e., landslides, floods and droughts.

Landslides and floods generally occur during sustained wet weather and in extreme events. Residents in the uplands and those residing on the river banks or channels or at the base of hills are exposed to the risk of landslides and flash floods. Generally, residents in the lowlands are not exposed to landslides, but they can be exposed to flooding in low lying areas on natural floodplains and adjacent to or within river channels (e.g., Figure 3). Landslides and erosion in the uplands may cause siltation of water supplies for most residents.

Landslides occur when the effect of gravity on the earth is greater than the capacity of the soil and rock to hold it in place. Landslides may be triggered by tectonic activity, i.e. earthquakes, but they can also occur as a consequence of rainfall events and vegetation clearance. Normally, interlocking soil particles and rock hold the land in place, with plant roots also helping to hold the material together. Water infiltrating into the soil can destabilise hill slopes by creating pressure between soil particles. As water fills the pore spaces in the soil, water pressure from above forces the soil particles apart, lessening friction. Landslides occur when the shear stress (the weight of material under the influence of gravity) finally exceeds the shear strength (a measure of the resistance of earth materials to being moved). The shear strength threshold is lowest in steep areas.

The relationship between vegetation and a hill slope’s shear strength is complex. Under normal rainfall conditions a hill slope that has been cleared of its woody vegetation (trees and shrubs) for agriculture has less shear strength and will erode or slip more easily. However, under saturated conditions, even areas covered in trees can slip as their above ground weight plus water pressure exceed the soil’s shear strength-shear stress threshold. Land slides are important processes in steep areas as they ensure continued regeneration of forest and transport new soil to lower lying areas. Land slides are an issue when impacting on settlements and livelihoods, or where land cover change results in mobilised sediments reaching streams and rivers and are rapidly transported downstream.

Flooding generally occurs when the intensity or duration of rainfall exceeds the capacity of the soil to absorb the water, i.e. the rate of rainfall is greater than the rate of infiltration, or the soil



33

is already saturated. Most floods in tropical regions occur following low intensity, widespread rainfall across the whole watershed. In this instance the soils become saturated and overland flow leads to increased water in rivers and streams (Molnar et al. 2002). The peak discharge of these floods builds slowly and drops slowly as water passes from the soil or aquifers into the river or stream. Conversely, flash floods result from relatively short, intense bursts of rainfall, usually in thunderstorms, in the mountains. The rainfall is usually in discrete parts of the watershed. Flash floods can catch residents unaware and can result in loss of life or of livestock, with the peak discharge rising and dropping rapidly.

Vegetation and soil characteristics can affect the flood response of the watershed. In general, water runoff per unit area declines with increasing vegetation density for a given intensity and duration of rainfall. Flash floods also tend to occur more often in watersheds with thin soils. Mass erosion events occur when the peak discharge is many times greater than that normally experienced. The riverbed and banks of rivers in tropical regions have normally adjusted to typical flows and floods, e.g. bank full floods, although erosion may also be exacerbated during smaller floods due to the clearance of riverbank vegetation and/or the removal of logs embedded in the riverbed.

Flooding may also occur in low lying coastal regions due to the co-occurrence of high tides and moderate rainfall events. Flooding may impact extensively inland for considerable periods. Sea level rise is likely to increase the incidence of flooding in low lying coastal areas, particularly if excessive groundwater pumping has resulted in ground subsidence. Excessive ground water pumping is causing subsidence in many southeast Asian countries, including the Philippines (Rodolfo and Siringan 2006) and may be a future issue in the TAW, particularly in Oton municipality.

4.4 Livelihoods

The livelihoods of the people of the TAW are vulnerable to extreme weather events and to changes in weather patterns due to climate change. Residential settlements and the impact of agricultural practices of the uplands lend communities to be particularly vulnerable to landslides and the loss of fertile soil through erosion. Residential settlements and agricultural practices of the lowlands are more vulnerable to droughts and floods (e.g. Lansigan et al. 2000). The residents of Iloilo City are vulnerable to flooding, reduced water availability during droughts and the possibility of reduced local supply of agricultural products during poor seasons arising from these conditions.

Some of the non-climatic or weather related factors that increase the vulnerability of the people of the TAW are the increased expansion of urban areas into once productive farmland, the need and desire to increase agricultural production to meet the needs of the growing population, and the limited capacity of water infrastructure to meet the needs of the population. For example, two possible but unintended consequences of extracting groundwater for irrigation and drinking water (particularly in Oton municipality) is saltwater intrusion into the aquifers, which will affect agricultural production in the region and the potability of the water, and land subsidence, which may increase vulnerability to saltwater inundation (Rodolfo and Siringan 2006).

7BCONCLUSIONS


Policy decisions made, often with the best of intent, can result in unintended consequences for the livelihoods of the population. For example, the exclusion of people from the Maasin protected area for water quality purposes resulted in major socio-economic disruption for the community and the loss of livelihoods. Subsequent decisions to allow industrial plantations of bamboo within the protected area may provide alternative livelihoods options in the area, but this has also raised concerns about social justice and equity, and focussed attention on the lack of progress in rehabilitating the watershed and the provision of water security.

A local response to concerns about health problems due to excess use of agricultural chemicals has been the move to organic production in the Alimodian municipality. The local farmers have accepted a decline in productivity as the trade off for improved health. This trade off means a reduced income or uncertain subsistence for the farmers and their families. The irony is that organic produce demands a price premium in developed nations. There are also ways and means of boosting organic farm productivity that are currently not applied in the region, possibly because a lack of awareness or technical knowledge.

The extension and improvement to the road servicing the Seven Cities area by Alimodian Municipality has increased the access of the upland communities to markets and services, which will improve livelihoods prospects. In a similar region of Central Luzon, the wider community’s welfare is negatively affected by the lack of a direct road connecting them to the town proper where the municipal market, the health office and all administrative functions are located (Gaillard et al. 2008). This supports the notion that improved infrastructure and road access has many beneficial effects on communities.

Just how people respond in the face of natural hazards or disasters is constrained by social, economic and political factors. For many people, natural hazards are viewed as amplifiers of their daily hardship, or as a nuisance (Gaillard et al. 2008; Palmiano-Reganit 2005), and they continue to live or work in hazard prone areas without appropriate physical, social, or economic protection due to factors such as political neglect, social marginalization and limited access to resources (Delfin Jr and Gaillard 2008).

Individual policies or individual projects could be developed to address any one of these issues in isolation. But these are unlikely to provide sustainable solutions, and there is an increased probability of unintended consequences making the situation worse. There is a need for a comprehensive whole systems approach to reducing the vulnerability of people in the TAW to climate change and non climate change associated impacts. This report is a contribution to such an analysis, and proposes a way forwards.

5. CONCLUSIONS

An assessment of Vulnerability and construction of a Water Needs Index (Alexander et al. 2009a) have been used to understand many pertinent issues affecting the Tigum-Aganan Watershed. Collectively, the methods have provided a more complete picture of the many issues and possible solutions and activities that could be conducted in the watershed. Residents are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change due in part to socio-economic conditions and circumstances, which affect their capacity to respond or proactively adapt. Vulnerability is also exacerbated by the inadequate resources and resourcing base for their institutions (e.g., finance,

8BRECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE FUTURE


35

knowledge, capacity), and cultural styles which tends to disregards rules and regulations if not considered valid, reasonable, or applicable. A sense of community and capacity to work together to solve problems provides the capability to respond and adapt.

6. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE FUTURE

These recommendations derive from the vulnerability and water needs analyses conducted during this project and are framed for the TAWMB and the Philippines office of AusAID as a potential development investment portfolio. Some of the recommendations are specific to the region and its communities, while others may provide a model for other parts of the Philippines.

6.1 Maasin- protected watershed

• Clarify the relationship between the Protected Area Management Board of Maasin Watershed, established by an Act of Government, and the Tigum-Aganan watershed Management Board (TAWMB), established under the Local Government Code.

• Work with TAWMB to model the hydrological and sediment budgets for the watershed under various climate and land management scenarios in order to inform land use planning and implementation in the catchment. The modeling can help inform where to revegetate to reduce erosion and where agriculture or plantation forestry can best occur. It will also help the Metro Iloilo Water Department and the Irrigation Association plan for water supply management under variable conditions.

• Work with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Metro Iloilo Water Department to develop low technology options for desilting water instream before water off takes, e.g. creating roughness instream through woody debris or manufactured structures.

• Engage in participatory research with TAWMB, local community organisations, and the community to explore resolution of perceptions of social injustice around management and regulation of the protected area.

• Explore livelihoods options that protect water supply and improve land management.

6.2 Water security

• Work with TAWMB to develop better and common understanding of the effect of climate change, El Nino conditions, and land management on river flow and aquifer recharge dynamics.

• Establish and resource a committee within the TAWMB to develop and oversee the monitoring of recharge and extraction of groundwater.

• Work with the Metro Iloilo Water Department and the Governors office to develop plans and policies for conservative supply and demand management in the face of climate change, increased population, and limited infrastructure/resource base.



• Develop low technology options for personal or community rainwater harvesting, with tanks, impoundment in rice paddies or created wetlands, etc.

• Model the recharge rates of groundwater under various climate scenarios and sustainable extraction rates. Develop monitoring capacity to trigger reduced extraction, and policies to manage demand.

• Explore the potential to treat and recycle stormwater and/or sewage for use in irrigated agriculture in the lowlands, or to be injected into aquifers for recharge. There will be a need to look at infrastructure and maintenance limitations, as well as seeking low technology options.

• Develop comprehensive watershed management plans to revegetate protected areas with suitable vegetation types.

• Develop policy for providing for water allocations under variable climatic conditions.

• Increase the efficiency of irrigation, including water recycling and reticulation. Convert to low water use crops.

6.3 Natural hazards

• Improve the monitoring and forecasting of droughts and floods, and establish action plans with dedicated resourcing for their implementation (Jose and Cruz 1999).

• Develop early community warning system based on medium to long range weather forecasts of impending storm events. Work with upland communities to identify risk zones for houses, infrastructure, and agriculture, and develop affordable options for mitigation or adaptation.

• Develop and implement early warning system for flash floods in the uplands. Have mutual technological and networked human based options. The technological option should be low tech, easily maintained, and physically robust; possibly based on mobile phone technology or mountain radio technology. Municipalities to have adequate response policies, including 24 hour monitoring, networked warning of communities, community response strategies, etc.

• Build capacity of Iloilo City and Municipalities to plan for and regulate land use in the face of climate change, known hazards, and population growth. Ensure adequate governance. Develop relationship between planning departments of major and minor cities in Australia, involving opportunities for exchange of staff both ways. Establish relationship between planning departments in Australian universities and local Universities for training, research, curriculum development etc.

• Replant mangroves to reduce storm damage to coastal areas, but also to improve fisheries and sediment trapping. Use this process as a direct and indirect livelihoods enhancement program.

• Examine the options for floodwater diversion or storage in wetland systems in surrounding municipalities to reduce peak flow at Iloilo City and to recharge aquifers.



37

6.4 Creating sustainable livelihoods

• Implement farmer collectives in conjunction with the Municipalities to work together to understand and address the environmental and economic challenges facing agriculture in the watershed. Facilitators experienced in community engagement and sustainable agriculture should be employed for this purpose. One of the most important initial topics for discussion would be the use of terrace farming in the uplands of Alimodian, Leon, and Cabatuan municipalities to reduce erosion and increase productivity. The collectives could also engage in experimenting with dry season crops, water conservation etc. Involve the local Universities in research and learning associated with this.

• Establish a relationship between Alimodian Municipality and the Biological Farmers of Australia (www.bfa.com.au) to develop improved and profitable organic farming practices. Encourage and facilitate organic farmers to establish co-operatives for producing and marketing produce. Involve the local Universities in research and teaching associated with profitable organic farming.

• Explore the development of ecotourism (including the possibilities and pitfalls), cultural tourism, and/or community/volunteer tourism with upland and/or indigenous communities. Explore the marketing of arts, crafts, produce or tourism to a wider audience through 'novel' means, e.g. the internet (even the Adriano Cabardo National High School at the top of the Aganan Catchment was getting internet access). Explore other livelihoods options with communities.

6.5 Other

• Improve planning capacity to protect valuable farmland and implement appropriate development for population growth and/or urban expansion in surrounding municipalities.

APPENDIX A – WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS


7. REFERENCES

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IPCC (2007) Climate Change 2007: Synthesis Report. Contribution of Working Groups I, II and III to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Geneva. Jose AM, Cruz DA (1999) Climate change impacts and responses in the Philippines: water resources. Climate Research 12, 77 - 84. Lansigan FP, de los Santos WL, Coladilla JO (2000) Agronomic impacts of climate variability on rice production in the Philippines. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 82, 129-137. Lasco RD, Visco RG, Pulhin JM (2001) Secondary forests in the Philippines: formation and transformation in the 20th century. Journal of Tropical Forest Science 13, 652-670. Laurance WF (2007) Forest destruction in tropical Asia. Current Science 93, 1544-1550. McCarthy JJ, Canziani OF, Leary NA, Dokken DJ, White KS (2001) Climate change 2001: impacts, adaptation and vulnerability. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, New York, New York. Meadows DH (2008) 'Thinking in systems. A primer.' (Sustainability Institute: White River Junction, VT). Miller CJ, Alexander KS, Jovanovic T (2009) Towards regionally relevant biodiversity, poverty and climate change policy: A report on the Los Banos workshop. Climate Adaptation Flagship and AusAID - CSIRO Alliance, Canberra. Moglia M, Alexander KS, Cook S, Sullivan C, Lane B, Lipkin F (2008) Regional and country scale assessment: Informing investments in future water supply in the Asia Pacific region - a decision support tool. Water for a Healthy Country Flagship and AusAID - CSIRO Alliance, Canberra. Molle F, Mollinga P (2003) Water poverty indicators: conceptual problems and policy issues. Water Policy 5, 529-544. Molnar P, Burlando P, Ruf W (2002) Integrated catchment assessment of riverine landscape dynamics. Aquatic Sciences 64, 129-140. Myers N, Mittermeier RA, Mittermeier CG, da Fonseca GAB, Kent J (2000) Biodiversity hotspots for conservation priorities. Nature 403, 853-858. National Statistic Coordination Board (2009) Regional Division VI Western Visayas, accessed 12th August 2009 (http://www.nscb.gov.ph/ru6/iloilo.htm). Okoli C, Pawlovski SD (2004) The Delphi method as a research tool: an example, design considerations and applications. Information and Management 42, 15-29. Palmiano-Reganit M (2005) Analysis of community's coping mechanisms in relation to floods: a case study in Naga City, Philippines. International Institute for Geo-information Science and Earth Observation. Republic of Philippines (2007) Dept. of Public Works and Highways: Study on sediment condition of the Jaro and Iloilo river basins. Final Report. Consultant services for Component II of Iloilo Flood Control Project, Phase II (PHP-230). ODA; JBIC Development Project. Rodolfo KS, Siringan FP (2006) Global sea-level rise is recognised, but flooding from anthropogenic land subsidence is ignored around northern Manila Bay, Philippines. Disasters 30, 118-139. Satterthwaite D (2000) 'The links between poverty and the environment in urban areas of Africa, Asia and Latin America.' (International institute for Environment and Development).

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Serrano RC (1985) The bamboos of Panay. PCARRD Review 13, 2-3. Stringer LC, Dougill AJ, Fraser E, Hubacek K, Prell C, Reed MS (2006) Unpacking "participation" in the adaptive management of social ecological systems: A critical review. Ecology and Society 11, -. Sullivan CA (2002) Calculating a Water Poverty Index. World Development 30, 1195-1210. Sullivan CA, Meigh JR (2005a) Targeting attention on local vulnerabilities using an integrated index approach: the example of the climate vulnerability index. Water Science and Technology 51, 69-78. Sullivan CA, Meigh JR (2005b) Targeting attention on local vulnerabilities using an integrated index approach: the example of the climate vulnerability index. Wat. Sci. Tech. 51, 69-78. Ulrich W (2000) Reflective practice in the civil society: the contribution of critically systemic thinking. Reflective Practice 1, 247-268. Walters BB, Cadelina A, Cardano A, Visitacion E (1999) Community history and rural development: why some farmers participate more readily than others. Agricultural Systems 59, 193-214.

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Name Organisation Nerliza Alegata EMSI/PO Juanito Alipao LGU-Alimodian, TAWMB Chairperson German Allesa Bolo Environmental Association Raul Armada IFPC-PMO-DPWH 6 Ma. Elena Basco National Irrigation Administration VI Sherwin Bering LGU-Alimodian Jaime, Jr Cabarles Central Philippine University Felix Jr Caronongan LGU Pavia; ASBRIS Manuel Chua St. Paul's University

Apolinario Corbal

Department of Environment and Natural Resources -Protected Area Superintendent-Maasin)

Louge Emano Metro Iloilo Water District Fernando Fernandez Coca Cola Bottlers, Inc

Bernabe Garnace Department of Environment and Natural Resources -CENRO

Stephen Geroche LGU-Oton Nilo Jardeleza Practicing Engineer Fernando Juelar University of Iloilo Jocelyn Juliaga Metro Iloilo Water District Roselea Kilayko LGU Leon

Antonio Latoza Department of Environment and Natural Resources -PENRO Iloilo

Olivia Ledesma Metro Iloilo Water District

Edwin Lerio ERDS, ERCD, Department of Environment and Natural Resources VI

Aurora Lim RHCC Pablo Mejares KAPAWA/DAEP Joselito Mendoza WVCST Rizaldy Nolasco LGU Cabatuan Amado Ortaliz LGU Pavia Joy Palmada Palacatian, Inc., Pavia Victor Prodigo Department of Agriculture Rosario Reyes LGU Cabatuan Cirilo Rosal LGU San Miguel Jessica Salas Kahublagan Sang Panimalay Fnd James Siosan Iloilo Mission Hospital Soledad Sucaldito Provincial Env. & N R Officer Valentin Talabero DENRO-Provincial Env. N. R Officer Nelida Tayong Provincial Planning and Development Office Waling Terania LGU Sta Barbara Nilo Tribunsay Sibalom-Baguingin Watershed Workshop Secretariat



Hayde Padilla Kahublagan sang Panimalay Fnd Rosene Sabidong Kahublagan sang Panimalay Fnd Rex Gadong Kahublagan sang Panimalay Fnd

Core Team (5) 1. Kahublagan sang Panimalay Foundation (Community Movement) Dr. Jessica C Salas

2. PENRO or Provincial environment & Natural Resources Officer of the Province of Iloilo Sol Ms. Soledad Sucaldito

3. National Irrigation Administration, region VI Engr. Ronnie Jagorin

4. RHCC Project representative (Rainwater Harvesting for Climate Change) – Engr. Aurora Lim

5. Representative of the Tigum-Aganan Watershed Management Board Chairperson, and mayor of the Municipality of Alimodian – Mr. Sherwin Bering

Australia-CSIRO Dr Kim Alexander - Social Scientist. Dr Craig Miller - Ecologist. Mr Tom Jovanovic - GIS Specialist.

Expanded TWG (17)

1. Kahublagan, JCS

2. DPWH

3. PENRO LGU -Sol 4. RHCC Project - AuAu

5. Dept of Agriculture - 6. DENR/ PENRO - Talabero

7. Cabatuan LGU- Zaldy

8. Iloilo City - Engr. Noel Hechanova

9. Pavia LGU – SB Felix

10. Olive/ Metro Iloilo Water Department

11. Central Phil University - Jaime

Cabarles

12. UP Visayas - Dr. Sadaba

13. National Irrigation - Ronnie

14. CENRO/ DENR Bing

15. 3 CSIRO scientists

APPENDIX B – WORKSHOP PROCESS AND AGENDA


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Tigum-Aganan Watershed Management Synthesis Project Iloilo City and Central Philippine University,

Philippines, Monday 25th – Friday 29th May, 2009

The premise of the workshop is that: • The issues facing government agencies and communities in the Tigum-Aganan Watershed are

complex and require new ways of thinking and acting if they are to be resolved.

• Integrated catchment management (ICM) is required for the provision of sustainable ecosystem services, nature conservation, and livelihoods in the face of climate change, population growth, and community expectations.

• ICM requires the best scientific information, mutual understanding and respect between stakeholders, and policies that consider the whole social-ecological system.

The workshop seeks to answer the following research question: Can disputed environmental management issues be resolved through a mediated scientific-stakeholder process incorporating conceptual systems modelling and evidence-based decision support tools? The workshop will do this by:

• Mutually examining the complexity, interrelatedness and dynamic behaviour of the social-ecological systems of the Tigum-Aganan Watershed (TAW), utilising conceptual systems dynamics modelling, to attain a common understanding of the issues.

• Examining the social-ecological trends in the TAW using GIS modelling and considering the likely impacts of climate change.

• Assessing water issues and ranking water ‘needs’ of catchment areas to support water planning decisions based on natural, social and economic values.

• Considering policy requirements as a consequence of the current and possible future condition of the TAW.

Following the workshop we hope that:

• You continue to take a whole of systems perspective when developing new policies or applying management actions.

• You have found the decision support tools useful and continue to apply them within your watershed.

• Present the results of these analyses at national and international workshops, forums and conferences.

• This approach will assist watershed stakeholders in meeting the complex challenges of Integrated Catchment Management in the face of climate and social change.

Suggested workshop outputs / outcomes:

• Report on the (i) current watershed activities/opinions, (ii) future management options, (iii) practical use of the research frameworks, (iv) gaps in understandings and suggested resources of information, and (v) future steps.

Workshop Agenda



The objectives of the workshop will be to:

• Identify and understand the complex ecological, social and economic issues affecting the management and social-ecological behaviour of the Tigum-Aganan Watershed (TAW) and its communities.

• Understand the social-ecological conditions and trends of the TAW in relation to climate change and develop new insights for policy development and management action.

• Collectively test a decision support tool for identifying priority management actions associated with meeting community and industry water needs.

• Consider novel and /or innovative policy approaches for Integrated Catchment Management that takes account ecological condition, and socio-economic trends, and climate change impacts.

• Consider adaptation options which best sustain environmental values, provide for sustainable natural resource use, and supports sustainable livelihoods options.

1. INTRODUCTION TO RESEARCH PROBLEM

9-11 Meeting with Core TWG team (5)

9.00 Welcome to the Philippines and the workshop (Jessica Salas)

9.10 Introductions

9.20 What is the workshop about?

9.30 Explicitly addressing 2 watershed problems identified (Kim Alexander, Craig Miller & Tom Jovanovic). Including Powerpoint presentation (Tom Jovanovic)

9.45 Group discussion - Defining the research question. What are the key environmental, social and economic issues for the Tigum- Aganan watershed? (Group working together to design the main workshop based on key issues, data and methodologies).

10.45 Morning tea

11.30 CSIRO continue to work on data, research objectives with designated individuals

12.00-1.00 Lunch

1-5 Meeting with expanded TWG team (17) 1.00 Introductions

Day 1: Monday 25th May: Objectives of the day: • Clarify the project idea and the participatory approach • Collate existing data, overview of research in Tigum- Aganan Watershed and

existing databases and sources

• Clarify the science approach, roles and expectations with stakeholders e.g. tasks, timelines etc).



45

1.10 What is the workshop about? (Kim Alexander & Craig Miller)

1.20 Group discussions: Refining the research question and research purpose.

1.30 Break out into 3 groups. What are the key environmental, social and economic issues for the Tigum- Aganan watershed? (Individual groups refining the design of the main workshop, based on key issues, data and methodologies). (Facilitators: Kim Alexander, Craig Miller & Tom Jovanovic)

3.30 Afternoon tea

4.00- 5.00 Clarify the science approach, roles, and expectations tasks and timelines 7.30 Welcome Dinner 2. GROUP MEDIATED MODELING WORKSHOP OF EXPANDED TWG TEAM(17)

8.45 Introduction to the day and review the issues identified the previous day (Craig Miller)

9.00 Developing causal loop diagrams to identify and causal relationships between variables.

10.00 Morning tea

10.30 Continue causal loop modelling

12.00 Lunch 1.00 Exploring the social ecological conditions and trends

2.30

3.00 Afternoon tea.

3.30 Group discussion:

4.30- 5.00 Where to from here?

3. DECISION SUPPORT STAKEHOLDERS’ WORKSHOP (35)

Day 3: Wednesday 27th May Objectives of the day: • An iterative approach to collaboration and consensus building. • Provide evidence-based information and several processes for the stakeholders to

reach consensus in their decision making

Day 2: Tuesday 26th May

Objectives of the day:

• Develop common understanding of the complex problems & issues • Application of mediated modelling using causal loop diagrams and other

systems dynamics techniques to identify/explore relationships between issues • Understand the system: biophysical structure, organisational structure, decision-

making structure • Set the platform for collective problem solving at the catchment scale.



8.45 Introduction to the day (Kim Alexander). Powerpoint presentation of WNI decision support tool

10.00 Morning tea

10.30 Groups to define/discuss data Resources, Access Use Capacity Environment and Vulnerability

12.00 Lunch 1.00 Deliberative process to weight and construct the WNI values

2.30 Afternoon tea.

3.00 Ongoing discussions of the value of the tool and the WNI ranking and the usefulness at the catchment scale

4.30-5.00 Where to from here?

7.30 Fellowship Cocktails 4. FIELDTRIP

Dinner with TAWMB members and mayors 5. CONSOLIDATION EXPANDED TWG TEAM (17)

Meeting with expanded TWG 9.00 Introduction to the day (Kim Alexander and Craig Miller).

9.30 Group discussion: Research findings

10.00 Morning tea

10.30-1.00 Where to from here?

Day 4: Thursday 28th May Objectives of the day: Fieldtrip

• Dialogue between scientists and stakeholders along the way.

Day 5: Friday 29th May Objectives of the day:

• Consolidate learnings • Plan to continue to collect needed data & information, communication via email.

APPENDIX C- NOTES FROM SUB-COMPONENT DISCUSSIONS


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ALIMODIAN- Sherwin Bering & Nilo Tribunsay Resource Scarcity of surface/ groundwater during summer months

Rainy months May-October Rain escalating during June to August with Typhoons and severe storms Summer months Feb to April with highest temperature recorded in April Water system level L1-738 L2 37 L3 775

Access Access to safe water provided by existing water districts and bottled water retailers

Upland communities have readily accessible water resources but water safety cannot be assured, practice in upland community they tend to extract groundwater from streams not practicing filtration or sterilisation

Use Most major use for domestic consumption and household use Significant percentage for agricultural use: irrigation/crop production/animal

industry Capacity Population 37,285 (Census 2009)

Labour force 58.74%, mostly farm labour Literacy rate 94% (5 high schools), access to 1 district hospital and 9 health

centres, cluster villages Water supply facilities,-1 water district, 4 water refilling stations. 51% serviced by electrical company

Environment Existing solid waste management program Enabling legislation: sanitation code, in 2007. Villages/Municipal resolutions on

areas for biodiversity conservation No adequate facilities for waste water treatment and support equipment for solid

waste management program Uncontrolled quarrying activities reported

Vulnerability 25 km from the city, more than 50% of the total 51 villages classified as high risk areas

Moderate to high susceptibility to landslides/erosion for upland communities Low lying areas prone to severe flooding/inundation

Additional information

Landuse (hectares) 4,902.75 agricultural 2,048.50 built up 3,661 forest reserve 1,982.27 open grasslands 26.88 agro industrial 1,677 open space Aganan River 52.18km & 131.42km major roads

LEON- Dr Jessica Salas, Mr Jaime Cabarles, Rose Lea C Kilayko Resource Householders source: spring, local water district, deep well

Agricultural source-rain fed farmlands : spring(mountains), river and creeks during rainy season, shallow tube well

Rainfall starts June sand ends in Nov, massive flooding Lowland scarce rain during summer (Dec-May) Mountains erratic, no tangible data on rainfall volume

Access Local water district, Village effort Health and sanitation, widely practiced upstream continuous



Use High malnutrition Low population % engaged in agriculture Free access to farm products Production of vegetables Abundance of spring water Suppliers of vegetables in the downstream communities Free access of fruits People prefer breads and cheese curls

Capacity Increasing population Mostly youth-looking for urban jobs Government owned land reserved 91% community rate: each farmer has their own land Self employed- agriculture Water facilities- self No foreign aid 487 households

Environment Poor implementation of environmental laws Contaminated water No soil and water protection Farming system- promote erosion Encourage composting within the household level

Vulnerability 60+ km from the city Mountainous area Walking (distance) only High risk of landslides and depressions Run-off prone area

Additional information

Total area of villages with the Aganan watershed 1,303.5 HA 3.67 or 4 persons/ha

Population:4,778 person, 45,647 total Elementary school 8 and 1 primary school, 1 high school and 1 provate high

school 2 health centres Average water consumption 648l/household/day

ILOILO CITY Resource Surface and groundwater, headwaters with all the adverse environmental impacts,

of areas upstream, so not good water quality and also problems of land use, low resource rating, also coastal area, shallow wells and intrusion. Assessment of surface/groundwater availability 50%, no surface water available, groundwater available via shallow wells, supplied by pipeline water. Availability per cap/30%, water storage 20% as some have no capacity to store at home. Rainwater collection, previously concrete structures for water storage, but no longer available, due to urbanisation. Av rainfall 68mm from flood control project engineer, water scarcity 30%, sometimes do not have water available during day, most water comes from big wells. No control over pumping groundwater for use. MIW water is available even n large hotels. Water is hard, wash clothes, soap solids in water very high, detergent, does not get bubbles, contains solids, hair after shampooing sticks together with the solids…yes…average value for resources is 3.9%

Access Everybody has improved access to improved water services, problems with availability of water, “we have the tap but when we open, there is nothing there” access to improved sanitation serves 20%, not everybody has access to improved sanitation, every household with toilet but waste goes, not everybody has a septic tank, so everything goes to the sea….that is reality, Domestic water use 25gall, or 1 cubic metre per household so 30%, total access is 35%

Use Water related health issues: Everyone uses water, some can afford to buy distilled water, drink distilled water if sick. Proportion of population below consumption 70%, employment in agriculture, animal production , household water 10 total



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average is 74% • Proportion of the population living below the consumption-based poverty line

70% • Employment in agriculture 10% • Annual production of paddy; 10% • Household water budget (l/p/d) 10%

Capacity Total 52% • Population 40% • Population in cash work (50%) • Water Supply Facilities (60%) • Institutional strength (50%) • Land ownership by Govt (40%) • GDP per capita (50%) • Male & Female literacy rates (50%) • Labour force participation rate (60%) • GDP per capita • Foreign aid as % of GDP (60%) Development assistance for water projects 60%

Environment • Solid waste collection (50%), govt has a good policy for solid waste management but the implementation is very bad. MRF material recovery facility, in each baragay, but non functional, use it as a dumpsite for garbage instead of land fill, all flies and insects are there

• Total human population density 40% • Water resource protection 50%, pour waste into river so no protection, all

establishments are required to comply with the clean water act ,but you have to make sure waste is compliant with requirements, ACT says if not meeting requirement then have to divert it into the treatment plant, but there is no treatment plant in the city, would cost 3 million pascos, bring waste to treatment plant for a fee to treat waste, obligation to pay for pollution. Throwing waste into river, where is the proof, I am the one who is gathering samples. Water treatment plant expensive, earn money from processing waste. No mining areas, only quarrying, some adverse affect of mining

• 90 shallow wells, studies show that although salinity intrusion is happening, because, conductivity is very high, absorbed solid also high, pH still OK, did not do coliform tests (too expensive)

Vulnerability Rating of 80%, city is very vulnerable Distance from Iloilo City (0km) • Area in square kilometres 3310 • % change in runoff (2030) 80% • Exposure to natural disasters 80%

CABATUAN: Rosario Reyes, municipal agriculturalist, Nelida Tayong PPDO staff, Rizaldy Nolasco Secretary to the Mayor/OIC municipal administrator Resource Surface water availability: major river Tigum River, major creeks Morobuan,

Amerang,Tigbauan, Tikong, Sulanga & Inaladan Groundwater availability: 3,389 wells; Metro Iloilo Water Department users

153 househols Wells working 848;not working 25 wells Shallow & deep well, shallow tube well 2,363 well Estimated volume withdrawn 45,424,250 gal/year Average rainfall 1899mm

Access High access to water for human use but a big shortfall in terms of irrigation use since we have an existing rainfed area of Riceland of 4,759 HA of which 50% are irrigated

No of households with access to safe water: level 1: 6,525, level 2: 564, level 3: 2810

Number of households with sanitary toilet 10,347:



Number of households with sanitary garbage disposal facilities:10,278 Number of households with complete basic sanitary facilities 9,946 Number of food establishments 375 Number of food handlers 375

Use A total of 34 children weighing below normal or 3rd degree malnourished children

Only 400 children belongs to below normal low or 2nd and 1st degree malnourished children

Out of 7,836 children aged 0-72 months old Capacity Population 50,861

Number of farmers 5,026 Others are engaged in white collar jobs entrepreneurs, skilled workers, drivers

etc Dept of Agriculture extend assistance for water projects 60% are in labour force 95% are literate Day care centres, elementary and secondary schools: 6 high schools, 2 private

schools, 38 elementary schools, 58 day care centres Environment Controlled dumpsite

Organic composting Garbage compactor-collection points boundaries between

Cabatuan/Janiuay:Cabatuan/Maasin;Cabatuan/Santa Barbara,Poblacin; along Villages along national roads

No forest, (plain and hilly) Municipal watershed management council Municipal solid waste management council Municipal Ordinances /resolution Village Ordinances

Vulnerability Distance 24km from city Area 11,290 HA

Exposures to Natural disaster Soil erosion Siltation Slumpy Flood tornado

SANTA BARBARA: Ilio Waling-Waling Terania, Sol Resource No data on assessment of surface water and/or groundwater

No govt or private entitlements conducted on assessment No data on water availability except from the Metro Iloilo Water Department No data on evaluation of water storage capacity and reliability of resources Data on average annual rainfall within PAGASA The municipality has no rain gauge Farmers use small water improving dams and small farm reservoirs Some residents have deep wells Most of the residents in Poblacion have water connections with the Metro Iloilo

Water Department People in Poblacion and village residents drink water from groundwater ,

commonly know as “puso”- (reddish coloured water) No data on estimated sustainable yield but usually there is scarcity of water No data on estimated daily yield 7 months wet season, lots of water in the wrong place 5 months dry season Deep wells dries up during dry season No available data on water scarcity 4,100 HA of farmland ( rainfed agriculture)



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567HA of farmland ( irrigated) Village residents dependant on ground water for domestic use except those

residing in the Poblacion No data on total renewable water resources

Access Poblacion/urban area 100% access to safe water Rural area 95% access to safe water No data on domestic total water use per capita

Use Child malnutrition-60 children (2009) Absence of water related health issues No data on population living below the poverty line 60% employment in agriculture Annual production of paddy-3.8 tons/HA, national 3.3tons/HA Embedded water in crops for domestic and imported consumption –no data,

however during summer plantation of high valued crops/upland crops were prevalent. Farmers dig wells in the farm and extract water for watering the crops

Access to banana- 20% planted with banana, a regular dessert in everybody’s household

Low budget price Access to pawpaw, usually planted in backyard, regular dessert, low budget

price Access to coconut, usually use for domestic consumption Access to breadfruit 1HA planted for domestic consumption No available data on household water budget No data on total water consumption

Capacity 52,000 population

No data on population in cash work, however employment is a mixture of professionals, overseas contract workers, labourers, farmers

Water supply facilities- Metro Iloilo water district-deep wells, water pumps, water tanks

Institutional strength- Municipal LGU, educational institutions, elementary & high schools, NGOs

Land ownership by govt Municipal LGUs 6HA No data on GDP per capita (municipal agriculture) Male/female literacy rate and labour force (MPDO) Foreign aid: UNDP, USAID,Red Cross Assistance for water problems- rainwater harvesting project Dept of Agriculture small farm reservoir Small water irrigation dam Nil-Irrigation dam and canals

Environment Solid waste collection Poblacion 90% Rural 10% Policy on solid waste management program- (i) no segregation, no collection,

(ii) regulating the use of plastic National comprehensive plan on solid waste No data on total human population density Water resource protection (1) rank No data on population density ( Provincial population office) No forest except backyard tree planting No data on loss of natural vegetation cover Environmental protection through treaties/agreements Learning resource centre for solid waste with LGSP and DILG

Vulnerability Distance from Iloilo city 16km Area 13,196 HA No data on runoff Prone to flooding/earthquakes Siltation of riverbeds and erosion of river banks

PAVIA: Amado Ortaliz, Edgardo Juelar, Fernando Fernandez, Joy Palmada, Felix Caronongan



Resource Water is abundant during rainy season both for surface and groundwater Despite the fact that water is sufficient (groiundwater) water for drinking comes

from outside PAVIA Average annual rainfall is 5.23 fl ( source: PIA)

Access 80% is irrigated for agricultural use (50% of 2703 hec of Pavia) 75% of total population has access to potable water supply (42,000 pop 2008)

Use Average wage is 500peso/household Capacity Irrigation is in excess during wet season that goes directly to our rivers while

excess domestic water goes to canals Level 2 (1-3) in capacity to manage water most of the population are well

educated and to the very least are responsible in conserving water Environment Over 75% (14/18) villages avail solid waste management collection service

Population is estimated at 1,556 persons/km² Vulnerability 9kms away from the city, city culture and use of plastics greatly affects the water

resources Pavia is generally flat and drains its floodwater in the city rivers, toilets are

mostly clogged Aganan and Tigum rivers overflows at an average of twice a year Pavia is situated between the two rivers of Aganan and Tigum

OTON/ SAN MIGUEL- Engr Basco, Stephen Geroche, Cirilo Rosal Resource Available surface/groundwater, no fixed data

Water availability and data can be provided by the Metro Iloilo Water Department

Abundant source of groundwater Average annual rainfall data available at DA (MAO) office Sustainable yield varies during wet and dry season Scarcity of water occurs during dry season for agricultural use but not in

commercial and household use Annual average rainfall/data available at PAGNA office Water resources is sufficient in the area 121,090m³/month-Oton 4036m³/day 118,049 m³/month-SN Miguel 3935m³/day

Access Some areas are distributed by the Metro Iloilo Water Department Sanitation follows since water is abundant in the area Water is safe as proven by refilling station presence in area

Use Malnutrition rare in the area Rare water related health disease Poverty in line/minimal The place is an agricultural area Annual production is available at the DA (MAO office) Construction of temporary wells used for crops for domestic /imported

consumption Water is available for various fruit bearing crops Household and total water consumption/no data

Capacity Sufficient supply of water for the population Population in cash work approximately 40% of the population Commercial and agricultural/NIA, Metro Iloilo Water Department

Environment Segregation of solid wasr-te is strictly implemented No data population is fast arising due to conversion of agricultural land to

residential area Vulnerability 10 km Oton to city

17km SN Miguel to city Area SN Miguel 31.9km² Minimal natural disaster Coastal agricultural

MAASIN: Edwin Lerio, Bernabe Gatnoce, Luilo Mendoza, Nerliza Alegata, Pablo Myars



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Resource Maasin is the source of water supply of 4 towns and city, headwaters 30% of town is covered by Maasin reserve area

Variability in terms of supply of water in the watershed, although we lock up the watershed area, in the summer months, we notice that some Baranguys have no water supply, their wells dry up

Although Maasin watershed only supplies 55% of water needs of city and some waters taken from other cities

Access Deep well water supply, no water analysis, coliform counts etc Use Child malnutrition, 2006 Provincial data, low use of water, Maasin was number

1 for malnourishment because of the children .Banana, paw paw, main livelihood of the town is bamboo, banana useful, but low for livelihood.

Diversity of bamboo, survey for mapping of data to see if economically viable Capacity Considering Population and water supply, (5) population many below poverty

line Environment Lowest value, (4) no garbage removal or sanitation, not segregated waste, no

protection of water supply as dump effluent into the river. Vulnerability Experiences with Typhoon Frank very destructive, headwaters

tigum-aganan watershed management project, part 1

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