Watershade Management
Problems of watershed management and watershed protection 1. The Allah Valley landscape (AVL) is located in the Provinces of South Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat. Its total delineated area is 252,034 has. That extends to the Province of Maguindanao. Surface waters that are drained along the Allah and Banga rivers subsequently find their way into the Liguasan marsh, the second largest in the country. The AVL is a major sub-watershed unit of the Cotabato- Agusan river basin in Mindanao. It covers the LGU jurisdictions of the Province of South Cotabato (Municipalities of Lake Sebu, T’boli, Surallah, and Sto. Nino, Banga, Norala) and Province of Sultan Kudarat (City of Tacurong and Municipalities of Isulan, Esperanza, Lambayong, Bagumbayan. The issues confronting the alliance and the watershed landscape it has committed to protect are categorized into the interrelated themes: Environmental, Development Disruption and Poverty and Governance and Policy Direction. A recurring issue of great concern is the periodic and intensifying floods along Allah and Banga rivers. This has resulted to massive siltation of river systems affecting vital infrastructure, agricultural lands and settlement. The watershed has increasingly become vulnerable from risks associated with changing rainfall patterns. These trigger natural disasters, which affect hardest the poor sectors. The thinning of forest cover and the threats to biodiversity are major issues of concerns. Increasing population in forestlands and associated subsistence practices coupled with the adverse effects of small and large scale mining activities are linked with the highly disruptive effects of flooding events. Destruction of roads and bridges due to flash floods and losses in private property and investment derail development gains. Productive agricultural lands turning into river beds and the sedimentation of irrigated and non-irrigated rice lands create food supply, health and security concerns during flood events.