Kalinga execs hit dumping of trash along Chico River by Mt Prov folk

By Dexter A. See

TABUK CITY, Kalinga — Unabated dumping of tons of waste along the whole stretch of the Chico River is threatening its fragile ecological system.

Local officials and residents brought this to the attention of the Regional Development Council saying several villages in Mountain Province were responsible.

They said uncontrolled pollution of the river system is seriously affecting the quality of water for irrigation, domestic and industrial uses.

Kalinga Gov. Floydelia Diasen said dumping of waste along the Chico River has been prevalent the past years despite their repeated complaints filed before the RDC and the Mountain Province local government.

At least 20 percent of the Chico River is within the jurisdiction of Mountain Province while the remaining 80 percent is in Kalinga.

The headwater of the river is traced to the historic Mount Data National Park, one of the largest watersheds and forests in Northern Luzon.

According to Diasen, the upcoming rehabilitation of the Chico River to sustain its watersheds and forests would be rendered useless if concerned local governments will not be able to stop the rampant dumping of waste into it.

She said the practice could result to massive siltation and poor quality of water that will significantly affect the rice and corn produce of the province.

Kalinga is considered by the RDC as the rice granary of the Cordillera.

The Chico River is the recipient of a $20 million assistance from the Asian Development Bank to finance an integrated environment management program designed to improve the existing conditions of forests and watersheds in the area.

Diasen cited immediate need to rehabilitate the forests and watersheds to ensure continuous flow of quality water in the river system to improve the productivity of thousands of rice and corn farmers in the province.

The governor said they have sent several delegations to Mountain Province to consult with their counterparts on how to abate the dumping of waste along the Chico River but the practice remained rampant, to the consternation of people downstream.

The Chico River is the site of the Upper Chico River Irrigation System (UCRIS) which is a national endeavor to provide irrigation to vast tracks of agricultural farms in the lowland communities over the past several decades.