Cebu needs to integrate river basin management plan

CEBU CITY – Cebu needs to update its Central Cebu River Basin (CCRMB) Master Plan to make it more responsive to present conditions.

In a recent meeting, the Central Cebu River Basin Management Council (CCRBMC) agreed that the plan was crafted in 2011 and there had since been major developments that must be looked into.

Maria Dianne Rallon, Senior Project and Development Officer of the Watershed and Environment Division of the Metro Cebu Water District (MCWD), said the previous plans had a lot of data gaps.

“There is a greater need today to work on the integration and updating of the master plan of the Cebu river basins especially in the aspects of improving the sewage and solid waste, access to water, sanitation and other higher generation developments,” Rallon said.

He said several meetings, consultations and interviews had been conducted to improve the plan by integrating it with the plans and programs of other concerned agencies.

Rallon told the Manila Bulletin the following concerns must be addressed:

• Water Resources Management

• Watershed Management Flood Control/Mitigation

• Disaster Risk Reduction and Hazards Management

• Wetland Management (to include rivers, river deltas, marshlands and coastal areas)

• Economic Development Plan and Institutional Linkages and Organizational Structure for River Basin Management

Rallon said this plan has a budget of 136,047,622 and covers 678.7 square kilometers in the cities of Cebu, Danao, Mandaue and Talisay and the towns of Asturias, Balamban, Compostela, Consolacion, Liloan, and Minglanilla.

According to Rallon, the CCRBMC is a multi-stakeholder organization composed of government mandated agencies concerned with developing an integrated river basins management using the Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) principles.