THE Interfaced Development Interventions (Idis) had started coordinating with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)-Davao in their recommendation to decentralize the functions of the National Water Resource Board (NWRB) for speedy action on Davao’s water resources.
In an interview Wednesday, December 21, Idis executive director Mary Ann Fuertes, said that last December 12, her office had a round-table discussion with the officials of DENR-Davao about their concern of the deferred implementation of the provisions of Ordinance No. 117-01 known as “Water Resource Management and Protection Code of Davao City.”
Previously, Fuertes expressed her disappointment with the "inaction or failure to act upon the approval of the Water Resource Management and Protection Code of Davao City" of NWRB when it was passed in 2001 to allow the city to sustainably manage its water resources.
More than a decade passed, still, there is no update about the proposal.
Because of this, they are calling on President Rodrigo Duterte to help them in coming up with an executive order that will devolve the functions and power of the NWRB to local government units (LGUs) to fast track the transactions.
In 2004, Idis helped draft the implementing rules and regulations (IRR). But because this has not been acted on by the NWRB, the city cannot implement the provisions under the code because as required by law by virtue of P.D. 1607 or the Water Code of the Philippines, the ordinance should be submitted to the NWRB in the National Capital Region for approval.
The IRR was drafted to enable the LGU to efficiently monitor and manage the water extraction in the aquifer of the Talomo-Lipadas Watershed.
Their effort is also aligned with the statement issued by Davao City Water District with regards the widening gap between the water supply and the consumer's demand, which is alarming.
"No doubt this is exacerbated by the unmonitored number of water extractors (both large and small scale) operating in the watershed and the unknown volume of water they are siphoning from the aquifers," Fuertes said in the letter.
Last August 2016, NWRB had conducted a consultation to amend the IRR of the Philippine Water Code but, the decentralization of its administration was not discussed.
Fuertes said that there is a great need to decentralize NWRB to streamline government agencies and unburden the NWRB of the time and resources to conduct monitoring and evaluation of these water extractors. (JCR)