Facade of the city hall building of General Santos City. (PNA GenSan file photo)
GENERAL SANTOS CITY – The city government plans to expand the rehabilitation of watershed and forest areas to protect and preserve the area’s water resources.
Allan Marcilla, head of the City Environment and Natural Resources Office, said Friday they are in talks with various sectors and agencies to plant more trees in the upland and riverbank areas and the regular cleanup of rivers and creeks.
He said the move is aimed to avert the destruction of the city’s water resources and water shortage.
Marcilla said that based on a study commissioned by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-Strengthening Urban Resilience for Growth with Equity or Surge project, the city’s water supply has started to become scarce.
He said the situation is mainly due to the city’s increasing population, estimated at over 650,000, and water usage.
“This is a reality on the ground, and there are some barangays that are already experiencing problems with water supplies from our water district,” Marcilla told reporters.
A USAID-Surge briefer cited that over 25,000 households in the city proper and nearby areas are currently served by the General Santos City Water District.
It said communities in other parts of the city that are not connected to the water district rely on small-scale water utilities like rural waterworks and sanitation associations, which reached a total of 174.
In coordination with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)-Environmental Management Bureau, the city conducted a series of tree growing activities and awareness campaigns in line with the Philippine Water Week.
Marcilla said the city’s rehabilitation efforts are focused on the four major rivers traversing the area –Buayan, Silway-Klinan, Silway, and Tinagacan.
DENR had declared the critical Silway River as a water quality management area.
In line with the celebration, the official said the USAid-Surge turned over to the local government early this week its commissioned Local Sustainable Sanitation Plan.
He said the plan would address the challenges faced by local communities in maintaining and expanding access to safe and clean water.
Based on data as of 2019 from the city’s field health services information system, some 140,458 or 91 percent of the area’s over 154 households were reported to have access to safe and clean water. (PNA)
