BAGUIO City Congressman Marquez Go and Mayor Mauricio Domogan expressed their desire for the decentralization of the National Water Resources Board's (NWRB) functions to allow the local water district to monitor and regulate deep well operations.
Go said the Baguio Water District (BWD) has filed its intention to be the regulating agency that issues necessary permits and monitors deep well operations in the city.
"I have discussed this with Engineer Fe Lagman who is a member of the Board and one of her recommendation is to place the sewer management of the city to the local water district including the deep well operations, so we will look for a win-win solution and when we go back to congress, we will look at the possible passage of a law transferring the responsibility to manage the sewer system to the local water district," Go said.
Domogan, for his part, reiterated that BWD has the knowledge to manage the water system of the city as compared to the NWRB.
"It is the water district of Baguio that knows its own backyard as far as water is concerned. That's is why they have the important say in the issuance of permits to construct deep wells otherwise if it does not have that authority, it will come to a point that the deep wells will be present in every house in the city which will affect the underground water system of the city," Domogan said.
NWRB coordinates and regulates all water-related activities in the country that have impact on the physical environment and the economy with a vision of having a sustainable water for a healthy nation by allocating sufficient water for optimal beneficial use, ensure access to safe water supply and adequate sanitation services, and to preserve flow regimes for ecological integrity.
Erdolfo Balajadia, Baguio Regreening Movement(BRM) chairman, in an earlier forum reiterated that it would be more feasible for the BWD to manage the operation of deep wells in the city.
Private deep wells in the city have hampered BWD's efforts to improve water supply to consumers, which normally becomes limited during summer due to high demand and consumption.
An estimated 20,000 illegal deep well operators are believed to be operating in the city.
Domogan said the city can only apprehend illegal operators of deep wells for lack of business permits.
