Baguio City—In a bid to address water shortage and minimize flooding in the city, a project to develop an artificial groundwater recharge facility for the replenishment of aquifers has been launched recrently by the DOST-CAR, Local Government Unit (LGU) of Baguio City and the Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR-ERDB).
The project, which is one of the components of the “Program Boondock: A Mountain Engineering Center Towards Sustainable Infrastructure and Upland Water Security”, will have a total funding of P10 million, of which P7.5 million will come from the DOST Science for Change Program (S4CP) Niche Centers in the Regions (NICER) for Research and Development and P2.5M from LGU Baguio City as counterpart. For its part, DOST-CAR, in close coordination with the Watershed and Water Resources Research, Development and Extension Center (WWRRDEC)—one of the Research Centers of the DENR-ERDB—shall extend technical assistance and conduct related activities for the efficient implementation and improvement of the project.
With this, the project is seen not only to impact the state of R&D in addressing natural calamities in the region, but also in protecting the lives, livelihoods and natural resources in the Cordilleras as well as recognizing the pivotal role of water on regional socio-economic development and environmental preservation.**Christian Robert Sandoval