Along the Vicinity of Mt. Kalatungan Range Natural Park. Municipality of ... EnterpriseWorks Worldwide Philippines (EWWP), Inc. through. European ..... The qualities of natural fresh water that can be detected by human senses are derived from ...
Along the Vicinity of Mt. Kalatungan Range Natural Park Municipality of Maramag Province of Bukidnon
An initiative conducted by LGU-Maramag with the technical assistance of EnterpriseWorks Worldwide Philippines (EWWP), Inc. through European Union’s Emerging Champions for Biodiversity Conservation and Improved Ecosystem Services project April 2014
Water Quality Assessment and Water Resource Mapping in Maramag, Bukidnon along Mt. Kalatungan Range Natural Park Vicinity Introduction
A watershed is a physical system that extends from the mountain ridge all the way to the coastal area and composed by a continuum of ecosystems and landscape units encompassing human and natural systems that are critical to economic development, environmental protection, and to the security of human well-being as it underpin the security of agriculture and fishery, public health, commercial industry, energy and transport, as well as recreation and tourism (Cruz, 2013). In the Philippines, watersheds are tapped as vital sources of water supply for domestic, irrigation, and industrial purposes, and considered to provide socio-economic base to a growing population, maintain ecological balance, minimize the occurrence of floods and droughts, and mitigate the effects of adverse climatic changes.
Despite of these services, watersheds are now dwindling and are considered in critical state due to overexploitation and mismanagement (PCARRD, 1991). Human activities such as upland agriculture, land conversions, destructive mining, and illegal logging, among others, have caused the degradation of watersheds in Philippines. These activities have led to severe soil erosion, erratic stream flow, diminished groundwater resource and declined land productivity (Journal of Philippine Development). Due to this, management of watersheds is of great importance as to achieve sustainability on this resource.
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Among several watersheds in the country, the Mount Kalatungan Range Natural Park covers an area of 21, 248 hectares was proclaimed in July 5, 2000, under Proc. 305 as Protected Area. It is located in the central section of Bukidnon Province within the Mindanao Central Cordillera. It is bounded on the
northwest by the Municipality of Talakag, on the northeast by the Municipality of Valencia, on the southeast by the Municipality of Maramag, and on the southwest by the Municipality of Pangantucan. Figure 1 shows images of the range.
Figure 1. Images from Mt. Kalatungan range.
According to the study of Warguez, Mondejar and Demayo (2013), the current status of Mt. Kalatungan range is considered extremely highly critical due to deforestation and habitat destruction and serious inadequacies in the existing environmental protection measures and protected areas network affecting biodiversity conservation which are observable in the area. Because of this, through the effort of the Local Government Unit (LGU) of Maramag, and in collaboration with Enterprise Work Worldwide – Philippines (EWWP), water quality assessment and mapping of the water source was conducted in the three barangay in Maramag namely: Barangay Bagong Silang, Barangay Dagumbaan, and Barangay La Roxas. These three barangays are located in the vicinity of Mt. Kalatungan Range Natural Park Watershed. The said activity was done on April 21- 25, 2014.
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This paper incorporates the results of the said activity and would serve as baseline information of the LGU in regards to the water quality and the location of these water resources. It would serve as basis in the creation of a management plan in conserving and preserving these areas and the watershed as well.
Objectives/ Significance of the study The activity had the following objectives:
Locate the coordinates of water resources in these three barangays using Global Positioning System (GPS);
Monitor the characteristic of the water in these sources using the following parameters: o
Dissolved Oxygen (DO) in milligrams per Liter (mg/L)
o
Velocity in meters per second (m/s)
o
Temperature in degree Celsius ( ̊C)
o
pH
o
Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) in parts per million (ppm)
o
Electrical Conductivity in micro Siemens per centimeter (µS/cm)
o
Channel width in meters (m)
o
Soil pH
Conduct a baseline survey in these three barangays for the production practices and constraint analysis in watershed areas.
Results of the said assessment were then compared to the Revised Water Quality Guidelines of 2008 (Revision of DAO 90- 34) and the Philippine Standards for Drinking Water of 1993 (DAO 94- 26A). Result on the baseline survey was incorporated in a separate report.
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Data Collection Method
The said parameters were measured using digital apparatus, except for the channel width which used Creston Fiber Glass Measuring Tape CFT-350 while soil pH was manually read in the Luster Leaf Rapitest 4- way Analyzer apparatus. DO and temperature was measured using EcoSense YSI DO 200 DO meter, which could both obtain DO and temperature readings. pH, EC and TDS was measured using Milwaukee MW 802 that could read values of these three parameters while readings for velocity was done using Flowatch Swiss Made (JDC). Figure 2 shows the apparatus used during the assessment. In cases that the said resource was already in a box (reservoir) or in some cases, the said resource was already connected to a pipe (bamboo or pvc pipe), the width of the box or the diameter of the pipe was taken as entry for channel width. .
Figure 2. Apparatus used. From left: DO meter, Flow meter. Upper left: GPS and lower: pH, EC and TDS meter.
The team from EWWP was comprised of four Research Assistants, namely: Francis Jhun Macalam, Lea May Caburatan, Xyza Yves Catanyag, and Genevieve Precillas, supervised by, Natural Resources Management Officer Jaime Q. Guihawan. Employees from the Local Government Unit of Maramag, namely Robert A. Labadan, Zoning officer II, Rodilon B. Ponlaroche, Niño Amor G. Labio and Forester Concepcion C. Pacatang, came to assist in the access of local guides and information in every barangay. 4
Results and Discussions A. Water Quality Assessment Water quality concerns are often the most important component for measuring access to improved water sources. Acceptable quality shows the safety of drinking water in terms of its physical, chemical and bacteriological parameters. There were eleven (10) water sources located and assessed in Barangay La Roxas, fourteen (14) in Barangay Dagumbaan and nine (9) in Barangay Bagong Silang (See Annex 1). These water sources were mostly found in between sugarcane plantations and farm lots. Some of these water sources were already utilized for household distribution while some were still prospects for further development. Based on DAO 90- 34 and DAO 94- 26A, most of the obtained values were still within the given standards. Tables 1, 2 and 3 shows the results of the water assessment of Brgy. La Roxas, Brgy. Dagumbaan and Brgy. Bagong Silang respectively. The highlighted text on every table is the given standard for such parameter. There were no indicated standards for velocity and channel width but these parameters were vital to compute water discharge of the given source. Table 1. Water quality status in Brgy La Roxas. Though most of these located and identified water source in Brgy. La Roxas are still considered to be in good status, some of the values were already fall below the limit (DO of Dagolos Spring 3 and Ogiaban Spring). Name of Water Source Cabutan Spring 1 Indulonganon Spring Dagolos Spring 1 Small Kulaman from D.F Dagolos Spring 2 Dagolos Spring 3 Cabutan Spring 2 Ogiaban Spring Mangkaban Spring Balungkot Spring Standard
Velocity (m/sec) < 0.1 0.1 0.3 1
Water Temp. 19.7 21.6 19.6 18.7
DO (mg/L) 6.8 5.13 8.34 8.93
Water pH 6.8 6.6 6.9 7.1
TDS EC (ppm)(m(µS/cm) 80 0.11 30 0.05 20 0.04 20 0.04
0.1 0.2 < 0.1 < 0.1 0.2 1
21.5 23.6 20.6 22.4 20.7 29.9
5.2 3.57 6.94 3.86 6.79 6.45
7.2 7.1 6.6 6.6 6.8 6.8
20 0 0 30 20 20
-
26-30
5
6.58.5
500
0.03 0.01 0.01 0.05 0.04 0.03 1002000
Channel width (m) 2.10 0.95 5.10 0.104
Soil pH 7.2 7 7 7
0.65 0.074 0.55 1.26 0.91 0.45
7 7.5 7 7 7.2 7.1
-
7
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The importance of temperature as a determinant of water quality is derived mainly from its relationship with other water quality parameters. Most of these relationships have a bearing on the aesthetic aspects of water quality; some are indirectly related to health (Health Canada). Though temperature is an important parameter in monitoring the water quality of a certain water body, DAO 94-26A is silent about it. Temperature affects the level of dissolved oxygen (DO) in a certain water body. The change of temperature might be attributed to the presence of pollutants, or even the presence of suspended solids in the water that are not safe for drinking. Table 2. Water Quality status in Brgy.Dagumbaan. Among all values, only Baohan Bantayan Spring 2 has a DO that falls below the standards. On this table, the soil pH was still not recorded. There were two sampling points in Alial Lagoon spring and it has the highest velocity among the sampled waters. Name of Water Source
Velocity (m/sec)
Water Temp.
DO (mg/L)
Water pH
TDS (ppm)
EC (µS/cm)
Alial Lagoon Spring Alial Lagoon Spring Kulaman Creek Linog Spring 1 Linog Spring 2
-
-
6.79
6.5
150
0.17
Channel width (m) pipe
Soil pH
1.1
25
6.2
6.6
70
0.08
0.504
-
0.7 0.3 0.5
21.9 23.6 23.7
8.5 7.04 7.05
7 7.1 7.2
10 40 30
0.03 0.07 0.06
8.8 0.054 0.212
-
-
Baohan Bantayan Spring 1 Baohan 2 Baohan 3
-
25.5
10.23
6.7
0
0.01
0.3 0.2
22.6 23.5
4.36 5.73
6.6 6.8
30 30
0.05 0.05
0.50 1.56
-
Baohan 4 Deep well 1 2 3 Villanon Spring Kudkud Spring Standard
0.1 0.7 0.3 0.6 < 0.1 0.08 -
22.3 22 22.4 24.3 23.5 22 26-30
6.56 6.53 5.15 5.97 7.63 7.83 5
6.8 6.7 7 7 6.5 7 6.58.5
20 20 40 30 80 70 500
0.04 0.03 0.06 0.05 0.13 0.11 100-2000
1.06 0.064 0.066 0.04 0.94 0.97 -
-
-
-
7 7 7
Dissolved oxygen is a measurement of available oxygen in water that is needed by aquatic organisms to survive. This parameter has been widely used in determining biochemistry of freshwater ecosystems. DO decreases if temperature increases. Its 6
decrease could also be attributed by the presence of microorganisms such as bacteria and protozoa in the water as these organisms consume the available DO in the water for its metabolic processes. This also indicates that these waters might have traces of oxygen demanding materials that depletes the available DO in the water. Waters with low DO levels must be further tested for traces of microorganisms. Table 3. Water Quality status in Brgy.Bagong Silang. DO levels in Tinunhay and Monyasque Spring falls below the given standard. The water pH in Langgawan spring also falls below the given standard. Name of WaterSource Luminarias Spring TrIbutary
Velocity (m/sec) 0.1 0.2
Tinunhay Spring Monyasque Spring Batyag Spring
0.5 0.03
DO (mg/L) 6.08
Water pH 6.9
TDS (ppm) 0
EC (µS/cm) 0
Channel width (m) 0.183
Soil pH -
23
8.2
7.5
20
0.03
1.93
-
24.2
4.62
6.5
0
0.01
0.34
-
19
4.32
6.8
50
0.08
0.37
7
0.02
19.4
7.93
7.1
0
0.01
0.10
6.9
Iraya Spring
0.06
20
7.62
7
40
0.06
0.40
7
Small Kulaman 2 Langgawan
0.06
20
7.46
7.3
20
0.03
1.08
7
0.06
21.3
6.97
6.3
0
0
0.04
7
Alerta Spring
0.08
23
7
6.5
0
0.01
0.074
7
-
26-30
5
6.58.5
500
100-2000
-
7
Standard
Water Temp. 24.6
pH indicates the acidity or alkalinity of water. A pH of 7.0 indicates a neutral solution, below 7.0 indicates acidity while values larger than 7.0 indicates alkalinity. According to the Philippine National Standards for Drinking Water (PNSDW), pH usually has no direct impact on water consumers, but it is one of the most important operational water-quality parameters. Any addition of substances to the water (impurities) alters the pH, and certain chemical reactions takes place that may also alter the taste, color or odor of water. Low pH levels can enhance corrosive characteristics resulting in contamination of drinking-water and adverse effects on its taste and appearance (WHO, 2004). Even if most of the values obtained were within the given standards, it should be noted that under Section 4 of DAO 94- 26A, it stated that water used for drinking must be 7
free from pathogenic organisms responsible for waterborne diseases and that elimination of all these pathogenic agents from drinking-water is essential for the protection of public health. Since these water resources were known to be source of drinking water among the locals, further test must be done using biological parameters (as stated in DAO 94-26A) to ensure that water from these sources are verified free of fecal contamination or as such, water must be adequately treated.
B. Map Using the obtained coordinates, a map showing all the sources was generated through GIS. This will be given to the LGU for their reference on establishing management plans on the protection of the watershed area. Some of the located sources were not assessed due to the accessibility of the said source. Locations of these sources were marked using a feature in the GPS apparatus.
Summary and Remarks
The water quality assessment and water resource mapping in Maramag, Bukidnon showed that there were eleven (10) water sources located and assessed in Barangay La Roxas, fourteen (14) in Barangay Dagumbaan and nine (9) in Barangay Bagong Silang. Most of the values obtained fall within the set standards in DAO 90-34 and DAO 94-26A, except for DO levels of Dagolos and Ogiaban spring in Brgy. La Roxas, Baohan spring 2 in Brgy. Dagumbaan and Tinunhay and Monyasque spring in Brgy. Bagong Silang. Langgawan spring in Brgy. Bagong SIlang has also a pH value below the standard range. Most of these water sources were located in farm lands or plantations and were already tapped by households for drinking water and other domestic use. Some of these sources were still prospects for further development.
Some of the water sources were not assessed due to issues on accessibility. Locations of these sources were just marked and were still included in the map.
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To further validate the potability of these water resources, microbial tests should be considered.
To conserve and preserve these water resources, a management plan should be established by the LGU with the coordination with the respective barangay. This is to assure that activities around the watershed area are controlled as such that it would not adversely affect the resources. This would also entail that the whole watershed area is also protected as well.
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Standard Values for Physical and Chemical Quality for Drinking Water Parameter
Constituent Maximum Level
Remarks
pH
6.5 – 8.5 5 – 7 for product water that undergone reverse osmosis or distillation process
The pH range is based on aesthetic consideration only. The acceptable range may be broader in the absence of a distribution system. pH is important as operational water quality parameter
500 ppm
