The depletion of the chico river watershed in Cordillera is worsening. An inter-agency committee tasked to conserve the watershed has already come up with programs on sustainable river and forest conservation and reforestation. But the thing is, these projects cost over P5 billion.
Over 115 billion? Well, this hefty amount just indicates the extent of the damage incurred on the Chico River. It’s the price of neglecting this 404,685-hectare watershed basin that straddles in Kalinga, Mt. Province, Ifugao, Abra, and Apayao.
According to the Inter-Agency Committee-Chico (IAC-Chico), a policy and decision making body created by Cordillera Regional Development Council (CAR-RDC) to prepare the Chico River Watershed Development and Management Plan, the most pressing problems on the watershed are decreasing water discharge, diminishing biodiversity, river siltation, and water pollution.
