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Reinventing the Philippines
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Monday, 28 January 2008 12:38 |
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The Philippines is an archipelago consisting of more than 7000 islands and covering a total area of 300 000 km2. It is bounded by the South China Sea in the west, by the Philippines Sea (Pacific Ocean) in the east, by the Sulu Sea and Celebes Sea in the south and by the Bashi Channel in the north. Of the 7000 islands, only 3144 are named. The total cultivated area is estimated at 9.5 million ha. Agriculture is the prime mover of the country's economy. From 1988 to 1990, the agriculture sector's contribution to GNP varied around 17 percent. It provided about 30 percent of GDP and generated more than 60 percent of total export earnings. It employed about 41.5 percent of the labour force in 1996. (Data provided by RP2011, the screen name of Dido, a Botomite).
The average annual rainfall is estimated at 2373 mm/year. There are 421 rivers in the country. There are also 59 natural lakes and more than 100 000 ha of freshwater swamps. The five principal river basins (more than 5 000 km2) are: the Cagayan River basin in north Luzon (25469 km2); the Mindanao River basin (23169 km2) in Mindanao island; the Agusan River basin (10921 km2) in Mindanao island; the Pampanga River basin (9759 km2) near Manila in Luzon island; and the Agno River basin (5 952 km2) in Luzon island. The country's annual average runoff is estimated at 444 km3. There are four major groundwater reservoirs: Cagayan (10000 km2), Central Luzon (9000 km2), Agusan (8500 km2) and Cotobato (6000 km2). The groundwater resources are estimated at 180 km3. The total internal water resources would therefore amount to 479 km3/year. The total dam capacity in 1995 was 4753 million m3, consisting of about 54 small dams and 6 large dams. A survey of surface water storage potential has identified sites for 438 major dams and 423 smaller dams. The total water withdrawal was estimated on the basis of the water rights issued by the National Water Resources Board (NWRB) to 55 422 million m3 in 1995, of which 88% is for agricultural purposes.
Source "AQUASTAT Country Profiles" |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | Title | The Pasig River, Philippines | | Author(s) | Cruz, R. T. | | Publication Date | May 2003 | | | | | File Link | http://www.who.int/docst...ilippines | | Additional Links | http://www.who.int/water...ntrol/en/ | | | | | Keywords | THE PASIG RIVER PHILIPPINES WATER POLLUTION WATER POLLUTION CONTROL MONITORING REHABILITATION PUBLIC PARTICIPATION | | Type of Document | Book chapter | | Abstract | The Pasig River system runs through five cities and four municipalities and connects two large, important bodies of water; Manila Bay in the west is the country's main port of maritime trade and travel and Laguna de Bay in the east is the largest freshwater lake in the country and connects 30 suburban towns to the metropolitan centre. Before the colonial period, the Pasig River was the main point of entry for international trade into what is now the City of Manila. Advancements in land transportation have changed the landscape considerably. Traditionally, the municipalities upstream were fishing communities relying mostly on the Pasig River and Laguna de Bay, while the settlements downstream experienced rapid urbanisation with the influx of trade from other provinces and countries. Before pollution virtually extinguished aquatic life, the whole 25 km of the Pasig River between Laguna de Bay and Manila Bay served as a habitat for 25 varieties of fish and 13 different types of aquatic plant. Today, there are only six species of fish and two types of plants left that can tolerate the polluted water. The situation, however, is not irreversible. During the rainy months of June to December each year, fish from Laguna de Bay are carried by the floodwaters to the Pasig River. The flushing effect of the increased water levels in Laguna de Bay increase the dissolved oxygen content of the river to a level that increases its potential for some aquaculture activities. Unfortunately, during the dry summer months of March to May, the river is virtually dead because the water becomes stagnant with the much reduced flow.
The various subcultures existing in Metro Manila result in many problems that reflect the complex socio-economic characteristics of the city. With the continuous dumping of wastes, the river bed has become more and more silted with organic matter and non-biodegradable rubbish. This results in serious flooding along the river, affecting nearby communities and carrying polluted water to the households living close to the river. | | Geography Keywords | PHILIPPINES | | Content Language(s) | English | | | | | Editor / Contact | Helmer, P.; Hespanhol, I. | | | | | | | | Publisher | UNESCO; WHO; UNEP | | Place of Publication | London (UK) | | | | | Source | Water Pollution Control: A Guide to the Use of Water Quality Management Principles (ISBN: 0419229108) | | | | | Related to Topics | Water pollution (1233); Philippines (639) |
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 19 February 2008 19:58 |
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