Chico River rehab project gets backing

By Dexter A. See

BONTOC, Mountain Province— The Cordillera Regional Development Council and provincial governments of Mountain Province and Kalinga passed separate resolutions endorsing the $20 billion Integrated Natural Resources Environmental Management Project covering the rehabilitation of the Chico River Basin and its watersheds located in central Cordillera to bring back the greenery of the region’s forests.

The INREMP as proposed by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources covers four river basins in the country which includes the Chico River Basin located in the Cordillera.

The multi-billion-peso environmental project will be funded by the Asian Development Bank and the International Fund for Agricultural Development with counterpart funding from the national government through the National Economic Development Authority–Investment Coordinating Committee.

The project, which is expected to be completed in seven years, will implement sustainable programs on proper land use and capability assessment, forest rehabilitation and protection, tree plantation establishment and agro-forestry, livelihood enhancement with improvement of rural infrastructure of participating communities, indigenous peoples’ organizations and local governments.

The deteriorating condition of the Chico River Basin and the need to adopt an integrated management approach to address such concerns prompted the Cordillera RDC to approve a proposal to prepare a master development plan for the judicious development and management of the watershed.

Earlier, the provincial board of Mountain Province approved resolution 2010-60 expressing interest of the province to participate in the Integrated Natural Resources and Environmental Management Project of the agency and requested the inclusion of the towns of Natonin, Tadian, and Besao as hosts of watersheds supporting tributaries to the Chico River.

Ifugao Gov. Eugene M. Balitang and Kalinga Gov. Jocel C. Baac signified their desire to actively participate in the INREMP to boost the return of the forest cover in denuded mountains in their respective places which is now taking its toll on the abundant water supply for the present and future generations.