City plans water management amid ‘sinking’ concerns

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

The Iloilo City government is advancing the development of a comprehensive water management action plan to address the city’s reported land subsidence, or sinking ground.

Neil Ravena, chief of the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) and the General Services Office, stated that the plan will include government measures to regulate groundwater extraction through wells.

“Moving forward, we want to create a water management action plan for three years to ensure the preservation and conservation of water,” Ravena said during an interview on Daily Guardian on Air via Aksyon Radyo-Iloilo last Friday.

Ravena mentioned that the proposed action plan will focus on collaborating with water suppliers to improve their facilities and ensure they are operational within the three-year timeframe.

The creation of the action plan is in response to a recent University of the Philippines Resilience Institute study that found the city is experiencing ground subsidence at a rate of 9 millimeters per year.

The study highlighted that the districts of Mandurriao, Molo, and La Paz, which are major commercial, industrial, and residential areas, are experiencing the highest rates of subsidence. These areas were also identified as the most densely populated coastal districts in the city.

The report indicated that land subsidence can result from various natural and human-induced factors, such as excessive groundwater extraction, which Ravena acknowledged may be contributing to the city’s sinking.

Ravena emphasized the importance of identifying the locations of deep wells, which have the most substantial impact on the aquifer and contribute to land subsidence.

“What we are more concerned about are deep wells because they tap directly into the aquifer,” he explained.

Ravena confirmed that deep wells have been monitored in areas such as Tabucan, Jibao-an, and San Rafael in Mandurriao.

In the city’s 2021-2029 Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP), among the development constraints and prioritized issues are the limited Level 3 water system and the over-extraction of groundwater.

A waterworks system comprises a source, a reservoir, a piped distribution network, and household taps.

The creation of the water management action plan will be led by CENRO and the City Planning and Development Office, which crafted the city’s CLUP.

Ravena proposed a “phased” approach to well usage, suggesting a 50/50 or 30/70 split between surface and deep well water extraction during different monthly intervals.

“We should involve all stakeholders because if we stop them, the impact on the economy could be significant, especially for businesses like hotels that rely on these water sources,” Ravena said.

“There should be a balance between the capacity of our resources and the needs of the people operating in the city,” he added.

Ravena underscored the need for alternative water sources, as the current reliance on groundwater extraction is unsustainable.

“The bottom line is, do we have other options for water sources?” he asked.

“We don’t have any sources of water here in the city that can not only provide the water but also the distribution pipes,” he added.

Meanwhile, Ravena clarified that the city government currently has no jurisdiction over the issuance of deep well permits, which falls under the authority of the National Irrigation Administration, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and the National Water Resources Board.

Despite these challenges, Ravena said the city government is exploring projects to reduce dependence on groundwater extraction.

For instance, the ongoing construction of public markets in the city includes rainwater collection system components like cistern tanks.

A similar initiative has been implemented in public plazas, including in La Paz, where stored rainwater was used to water plants along Diversion Road during the recent El Niño phenomenon.