BUTUAN ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

WATER QUALITY OF TABUIBO RIVER, AGUSAN RIVER, AND MASAO BEACH

 Butuan's main water source the Taguibo River is found to have Fecal
coliform beyond the standard or accepted level as reported by Engr.
Tacubao, Chief, Ambient Monitoring Section of the Environmental
Management Bureau (EMB). Fecal coliform come from human and animal Feces.
Feces are discharged through the anus or cloaca during a process called defecation.
They are the solid or semisolid remains of food that could not be digested in the small
intestine. Bacteria in the large intestine further break down the material. Fecal coliform
is one of the indicators in tracing pathogens (bacteria, viruses, protozoa) in water. The
Taguibo Water Quality Management Area (TWQMA) has 15 monitoring stations spread
in the Taguibo watershed and has classified the stations to three classes. Class A
(upstream section which has 4 stations) is for Public Water Supply Class II (sources of
water supply that will require complete treatment). Class C (Midstream Section which
has 3 stations) is for fishery, recreational and industrial water supply Class I e.g.
manufacturing process. Class D (Downstream Section which has 8 stations) is for
irrigation, agriculture, livestock watering and industrial water supply class II e.g.
cooling). According to Engr. Tacubao, Class A stations (stations 12 to 15) located within
the Bulk Water Project (BWP) has been observed to also have Fecal coliform beyond the
standard of 1.1 MPN/100ML. Station 12 (downstream of BWP) had the most number of
about 3,725 MPN/100ML, followed by station 13 (upstream of BWP) which had a fecal
coliform of about 2,771 MPN/100ML and by station 15 of about 1,473 MPN/100ML.
The least numbered station was station 14 which had 851 MPN/100ML. Fecal Coliform
was also found under Class C and Class D which were far more higher than Class A of
the monitoring stations. Class “C” Portion: all stations are beyond the standard of 200
MPN/100mL. Class “D” Portion: all stations were also beyond the standard of 400
MPN/100mL. The water quality standards were based on the DENR Administrative
Order No. 2016-08 signed on May 24, 2016.
 Among other findings of the report was: Water quality parameters like dissolved oxygen (DO),
biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), total suspended solids (TSS), potential for Hydrogen (pH),
temperature, chloride, color, nitrate, and phosphate – All classifications met
respective standards;
DEFORESTATION OF TIMBERLANDS
sqm hectares
Timberland by Law 494289146.4 49,428.91464
ForestProduction Area 329343866.7 32,934.38667
ForestProtection Area 116117016 11,611.7016
Actual Forest as of 2012 70282614.32 7,028.261432
Source: BSWM Present Landuse Map

Based on the boundary maps provided by the City Planning and Development
Office which had a total land area of 81,728 hectares which was sieved together
with the maps provided by the Department of Natural Resources Office, its
forestland which covers an original area of about 49,428.91 hectares has been
dwindling brought about by factors like the increasing number of settlers in the
forest areas and encroachment of agriculture in forest areas as evidenced by the
issuance of different tenurial instruments issued by the department as well as with
the Department of Agrarian Reform such as the CLOA, Co-Mangement, CBFM,
ISF and by the City Government of Butuan as relocation housing programs
brought about by informal settlers and victims of disaster. These causes have
become possible due to the absence or less visibility of law enforcers and/or forest
guards which is supposed to monitor these activities. Another cause that has
complicated this situation is that there is no concrete/juridical" delineation of
proclaimed forest in the past as these critical mandated institutions have failed to
inform other institutions.

The alarming effects or symptoms of the problems which we have already seen or
experienced are soil erosion and the loose of water supply due to the dwindling of
the number of trees that holds the ground soil and help hold ground water. Soil
erosion would result to soil infertility which would further result to the expansion of
barren areas and further become a cause for the rapid runoff of rainwater which
will result to an increase in siltation among waterways / water dependent
farmlands with an alternate effect of threat of landslide which will endanger lives
and properties which will incur huge rehabilitation or restoration capital.

The threat of water supply has already been felt by Butuanons in the past years
when outside forces such as heavy precipitation brought about by weather
disturbances or climatological phenomenons complicate the situation of the
Taguibo Watershed which has caused the city water district to heavy rehabilitation
 efforts due to the destruction of its infiltration gallery due to the heavy scouring of
the taguibo river brought by the mismanagement of its forest cover.

ENCHROACHMENT OF AGRICULTURAL ACTIVITIES IN FOREST AREA.

The number one cause of this is the increasing number of settlers or claimants
inside the forest land as discussed briefly in the previous problem where the
underlying cause are the increasing number of emancipated land issued by the
Department of Agrarian Reforms inside the forest through their release of _____
issuances of the Certificate of Land Ownership Award which is a result of
confusing implementation of agency mandates by both the DAR and the
Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Another underlying cause is
the absence of implementing guidelines for forest management due to the
absence / or inactive co-management mechanism for forest land administration.

Since forests are already cultivated for agricultural purposes, coupled with poor
farming practices, this will lead to soil erosion and soil infertility which will result to
the desolation of the soil. When rain water drops brought by climatological factors
the threat of rapid rain water run-off would become inevitable which will result to
silted waterways and the worst landslide due to the loose of trees through its roots
which help hold the soil. If unmanaged this will possibly lead to disaster and
threaten lives and properties not only in the upland but in the lowland as well
which will incur heavy expenses brought by rehabilitation and restoration efforts.

As discussed in the previous problem about the experience of Butuanons about

loose of water supply brought by the Taguibo Watershed in the past years,
another is the loose of water supply in other rural barangays i.e. Barangay
Dumalagan, Barangay Bilay, Barangay Florida. Some reliable water sources have
dried -up due to the loss of forest cover because of the conversion of forestlands
to agricultural areas which has caused the government to more investments in the
search for new water sources.
SHORT LONGEVITY OF LANDFILL

The mismanagement of the Landfill is the main cause of this problem which has
been brought by abuse of its capacity due to the deposit of solid waste other than
"residual waste" has been observed, this is evident through its foul smell because
mixed waste collected in the 44 service barangays has found its way in the
sanitary landfill due to tolerance of its implementation of RA 9003. The absence
of supporting administrative mechanisms has caused the mandated agency and
barangays to fail in the implementation of proper segregation of household waste
generators. Poor IEC efforts to its constituent members and the Monitoring and
evaluation of mandated agencies was also absent in the early phase of
implementation this has caused inconsistency and unreliable segregation of waste
at the waste generator level (household, business, institutions). Human capital and
technology is seen lacking in the mandated office in order to fully implement,
monitor and apprehend perpetrators as observed in the latest evaluation of the
ecological solid waste management enforcement, monitoring and evaluation team
in order to curb this undesired habit. (see ESWM Evaluation Terminal Report as of
2018)

The effects are evident with the number of notices (___total number of notices
since year ____) received by our City Environment and Natural Offices from the
Environmental Management Bureau threatening to the full closure or banning in
the operation of the landfill. The closure of the landfill would further complicate to
effects such as the open dump disposal of municipal waste and the suspension of
waste collection which will directly affect people due to health issues brought by
the spread of air and water borne diseases due to the release of dangerous fumes
in the air or leach-ate fluids on the ground. As a result, this will entail penalty or
litigation on the government side which will later become a threat to human capital
and cause for huge financial requirement after a post disaster assessment.
.