A strategy for water

PUNCHLINE

Ike Seneres

The water deposits at Angat Dam went down to a critical level recently. That should already be a wakeup call for us, and that should already teach us a lesson. We are often alarmed by the potential shortages of power and fuel, but as far as I am concerned, the potential shortage of water is actually more alarming, because water means life, and without it, many of our people could die, period.

There is more to the Philippines than just Metro Manila, but when it comes to the water shortage problem, we are not looking beyond the Metropolis. Perhaps it has not really become an issue yet, but the provinces may soon have problems about water shortages, assuming that they are not yet feeling it already. The good news is, the provinces might even provide the solution, if and when we could protect and preserve the watersheds in those areas.

It is a very simple logic that everyone should be able to get, that watersheds are our sources of water, and therefore we should do everything now to protect and preserve them. It is even simpler logic that trees are needed in the watersheds in order to hold the water, but we are not planting more trees and instead, we are not doing anything to stop the illegal logging of these trees.

Holding the water in the roots is just one benefit that we could get from the trees. The other benefit is the capability of the trees to prevent soil erosion, the very same problem that causes the devastating flash floods. If only the trees could hold the water, and if only there is no soil erosion, the flash floods would not happen, even if some excess water could still flow down from the highlands.

It is very difficult to compute the economic value of the trees in relation to their capability to hold the water, and to prevent soil erosion. Perhaps that is the reason why the appreciation of their social value is not so prevalent either. Assuming that everything in life is all about money, and there is nothing else that is important except money, trees should now have a greater social value, because carbon credits trading has now become very real and very lucrative.

Greed is the reason why the United States has become the biggest producer of the carbon dioxide that destroys the global environment and damages the ozone layer. Greed is also the reason why the United States did not sign the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) action plan as defined in the Kyoto Protocol. As planned, the CDM action plan would have required carbon producers to offset their social responsibility for the damage that they have caused by buying carbon credits from those who are planting trees or who are making other moves to save the earth.

Even if American companies are not yet required to offset their environmental sins by buying carbon credits, there is now good news for the world, as private carbon trading exchanges have now emerged in the United States, even without the formal support of the American government. Add to that the good news that some States in the American Union are now encouraging many environment friendly programs that are supportive of carbon credits trading.

There is more to the world than just the United States, and fortunately, there are other countries where official carbon credits trading exchanges are now supported. Whether the American federal government likes it or not however, private exchanges have now taken root over there, and it seems that they are bound to grow. And whether or not carbon credits trading exchanges will emerge in the Philippines or not, there is now a global market to sell to, no matter what happens here locally.

Since not everything in life is all about money, we should be happy enough to think that planting trees in watersheds will prevent flash floods in the present, and will ensure our water supply in the future. Whether we like it or not however, planting trees will give us money as we harvest fruits, leaves, barks and twigs, even if we do not cut the lumber. Along with the trees, we could also grow tubers and vegetables, not to mention the fish, poultry and livestock that could also be grown.

On top of all these, we could also make money from the carbon credits.

MgaAnakngInangDaigdig (MAID), a group of young people from Smokey Mountain led by Fr. Ben Beltran has secured a stewardship agreement from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for them to plant 135 hectares of forest land within the Marikina watershed area. This area is also near an ancestral domain of the Dumagat tribe, and that is why MAID is also helping the tribe members. This is a great irony, that young people from a mountain of trash is now reviving a mountain of trees not for their own good, but for the good of others.

Organic produce from the watershed project will be sold in some Catholic parishes in Quezon City. This is really the key to this strategy, to create markets for the products coming from the watersheds, in order to sustain the livelihood of those who are taking care of the forests. That will give us not only water security, but also food security.

For feedback, email iseneres@yahoo.com or text +639083159262