Save the Chico River movement revived

By Larry Lopez

TABUK CITY, Kalinga -- The advocacy to save the Chico River has been revived among Kalinga leaders and residents including nearby provinces.

           

The bid to save Chico River emanated from reports about the ill practices by some residents and business operators staying near the river who indiscriminately dump their wastes and garbage into the Chico.

           

The Chico which traverses Bontoc, Mt. Province down to Lubuagan – Tabuk – Pinukpuk in Kalinga joins Tuao River in Tuao, Cagayan before exiting into the China Sea in Aparri, is a major source of water for irrigation to thousands of rice land in Kalinga and part of Isabela province.

           

Gov. Jocel C Baac said the river has earned another industry for Kalinga with the organization of the Chico River Challenge Group that promotes white water rafting through the rapids of Chico River.

           

For some years, the adventure over Chico’s rapids has become a major tourist attraction bringing income to the province.

           

But according to Baac, there is a bigger threat now knocking at the doorstep of the Chico from discovered mercury traces coming from small scale mining, which has emerged as prime livelihood of people in upper Kalinga.

           

Based on an earlier test conducted on the waters of the Chico River, traces of mercury have become very visible because of increasing rate in small mining in the upland area.  

           

Farmers in downstream Tabuk fear that if the  practice goes on unregulated,  there  will  be  bigger losses when rice lands  here  and nearby Quezon, Isabela will dry up and possibly also loss the booming tourism industry in the province.