BAGUIO CITY(PIA) -- The Environmental Management Bureau in the Cordillera recently convened the technical working groups  of the Water Quality Management Areas(WQMA) of three water systems in the region in a joint meeting in Baguio City to plan out strategies to improve water quality.

EMB-CAR Ambient Monitoring Section Officer-in-Charge Grace Solano said that the annual activity of the three WQMA is to jumpstart the year by planning out environment-related strategies to improve and restore the three waterbodies namely the Bued, Balili and Upper Amburayan River Systems.

Each WQMA thru its members and representatives reviewed the 2023 action plan,  and what have been accomplished in the past year. They also deliberated what to be undertaken and the priorities for the 2024 action plan.  

Solano said the objective of the WQMA is to protect  thru stakeholders’ collaboration, the water body and its tributaries by keeping their water quality within the water quality guidelines or criteria conforming to the water body’s classification or even improve the quality to higher classification

The WQMA Action Plan aims to address water quality issues and problems in the area that would  result to the improvement or better water quality of the said water bodies.

The oldest WQMA is the Balili River which was designated in 2013, followed by Bued River in 2016, and Upper Amburayan River in 2018.

These three WQMAs are distinctively different especially, in terms of pollution sources and loading. Balili River traverses the municipality of Sablan and the highly-urbanized areas of La Trinidad,  and Baguio City.

 Bued River is located in Itogon and Tuba, Benguet where mining activities are rampant while the  Amburayan River traverses the municipalities of Bakun, Kibungan, Buguias, Atok, Tublay, and Kapangan where  vegetable gardens and farmlands abound.

Solano expressed gratitude to the different agencies, offices and organizations for being staunch partners in the environmental protection and the preservation and restoration of the river systems in the region. (RMC-PIA CAR)