DENR-7 identifies committees for river basin management, rehab
By Hazel F. Gloria
CEBU CITY, July 24 (PIA) -- The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)-7 with the Central Cebu River Basins Management Council (CCRBMC) identified six technical functional working committees for river management and rehabilitation.
This, after a strategic and action planning workshop was held recently at the Hagnaya Beach Resort, San Remegio, Cebu.
In a press statement from DENR-7, the six committees are waste management, environmental security and safety, education and community development, river basin management and rehabilitation, water resources generation and utilization and institutional and operational systems development.
Chaired by the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB)-7, the waste management looks into several programs, namely, solid waste management, sewerage and septage, and toxic and hazardous substance management.
DENR-7 Regional Executive Director Isabelo R. Montejo emphasized the functions of the CCRBMC. These are the harmonization of the land use plans affecting the Central Cebu river basins and establishment of a working mechanism that would enhance collaborative undertakings, simplification of bureaucratic procedures, standardization of processes, and promotion of participatory management.
Likewise, two major programs were cited by the environmental security and safety headed by the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) to include environmental risk reduction and mitigation, and natural resource protection which involves pest management and control, fire suppression and control, and management of environmentally critical areas.
Two major activities under the river basin management and rehabilitation were planned with DENR as lead agency to include coastal and marine resource management, and land and forest resources management and development.
Metro Cebu Water District and DENR jointly chaired the three main programs of the water resources generation and utilization: water demand and supply management, water conservation and water quality management.
Jointly led by the National Economic Development Authority and DENR, the institutional and operational systems development has proposed five programs. These are organizational development, information network and knowledge management, land and resource use planning, research development and technology transfer, and resource sourcing and mobilization.
Montejo urged partners and the business sectors to help in financing and allocating the necessary funds to augment and support these projects.
“Our challenge now is to try to look for potential partners who would extend financial assistance to these projects,” he said. (HFG-PIA7/DENR-7)