MIG 02 Water Resources Profile

I. Introduction
Almost everywhere, especially in any major cities, water is a major concern. Water has to be continuously supplied at adequate quantity and the right quality fit for human use and for other economic purposes. In any development, water has become a main constraint, such that in some cases it was viewed as determinant for carrying capacities and development potential in a certain areas. The goal of securing the availability of water for an area is also coupled with concerns on its quality appropriate for the needs of the people. The water utility providers, such as primarily the Water Districts or the Municipal and Barangay waterworks in the Metro Iloilo-Guimaras (MIG) area are faced with the challenge of continuously supplying their service areas 24 hours a day with quality water. There are a several prevailing factors that need to be considered in terms of water quality. For residential needs, potability is a major requirement as governed by its physical, chemical as well as bacteriological properties. The commercial sector has similar level of quality preconditions which need to be fulfilled, more so with those establishments related to tourism. Tourist and guest should be provided with quality water for their needs during their stay and any problems that will arise will have direct bearing on the viability of the business in particular and to the industry in general. The industrial sector may have slightly lower water quality requirements but may require water to be supplied in larger volumes and continuously throughout any particular operation.

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A. Need for Water in Metro Iloilo and Guimaras

Water is among the priorities for the Metro Iloilo-Guimaras region. For this region to improve its economic standing and attract investments, the availability of water cannot be discounted for the present as well as for the future. Water to the residents of both Metro Iloilo and Guimaras is basic. Future commercial activities and ventures in Iloilo City will definitely demand water. Tourism activities and prospects in Guimaras will have to be supplied with water. With the objective of attracting industries in Metro Iloilo local government units (LGUs) such as Sta. Barbara, Pavia and Leganes water has to be assured. The expansion of residential areas in San Miguel will require water for domestic needs. Oton likewise as it heads on for more expansion in urbanization will have to be provided with adequate water. To sustain productivity and maintain food security for the region, the need for water for agricultural purposes has to be sustained.Hence, with the significance of securing water for various needs and purposes, it becomes necessary for MIG LGUs to look at water resource in a more comprehensive manner. Foremost to this is that the water resource availability and may pose a constraint to the MIG region’s development. The people and various instrumentalities of government along with the water utility providers should recognize impending threats to water resource and to work together to conserve, protect and make it sustainable.

B. General Hydrography in MIG

The hydrography within Metro Iloilo and Guimaras is governed by precipitation. Water which comes down as rain, becomes runoffs, and eventually drains into creeks rivers and streams. Part of it is taken by natural vegetation and considerable portion evaporate into the atmosphere. The remaining part recharges the aquifer which can become reserve for future use. The groundwater is obtained from the aquifer, which is a layer of water bearing soil materials and often overlain by layers of other soil materials. Frequently, the depths of good aquifer range to several hundred meters deep and requiring expensive pumping cost to obtain good quality water. The average annual precipitation in Metro Iloilo is about 2100 mm. About 84% of this falls in the wet season. The annual average evaporation for the area is around 1985 mm. Although there are far more factors that needs to be considered, research indicates that the recharge to the aquifer reach only around 3-5% of the rainfall. Hence, for MIG this can only be around 105 mm, and this can be considered as the aquifer recharge rate for a particular area. Assuming the above value of aquifer recharge rate, within the catchment area of Metro Iloilo and Guimaras, the groundwater recharge prospect for MIG is shown below:

Table I: Groundwater Recharge Prospect for MIG

From the data above it can be seen that for a balanced sustainable yield, Metro Iloilo aquifers can only supply around 849,958 while Guimaras’ aquifer can supply the needs of 1,337,826 at a daily requirement of 130 lpcd. Beyond this number, continued extraction results in mining the aquifers and will eventually complete depletion of the water resources. The rivers in Metro Iloilo consist of Tigum River, Sibalom River, Aganan River, Iloilo River and Jaro River. Tigum River and Aganan River flow into Jaro River causing disastrous damage and threatening lives in Iloilo City during the rainy season. Iloilo River also swells during the rainy season causing flooding in lowlying areas as well. Sibalom River flows through the flat areas of Metro Iloilo before discharging into Panay Gulf. .During the dry season, the river waters are at normal level but discharges and effluents cause them to be contaminated and causing health and environmental problems downstream and to the coastal areas. The contaminants in these rivers are so high such that they become unsuitable for any use and too costly to treat. It is for the above reasons that other sources of water, be tapped for Metro Iloilo various uses and purposes. These possible sources of water can be the uncontaminated surface water requiring reasonable cost of treatment and can come from outside Metro Iloilo. Although Guimaras have greater reserve, the province but may suffer also constraints due to lack of infrastructure to obtain water and bring them to the constituents. The existing water sources should be optimized for the use of the constituencies.

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