MARAWI CITY, Lanao del Sur, Sept. 12 (PIA) -- The Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Region 10 gathered here yesterday various stakeholders as it seeks to address the final water classification of Lake Lanao.
The conduct of the public hearing, aimed at soliciting comments on the most beneficial use and dominant water utilization of Lake Lanao, is the second step before the government can finally declare the water usage and classification of the lake, Dr. Sabdullah Abubacar, regional director of the EMB-10 said.
He said DENR Administrative Order (DAO) No. 34 provides for the classification of freshwaters so as to maintain their satisfactory condition according to their best usages.
The final water classification of Lake Lanao will serve as a guide for the enforcement activities of the government to stop the degradation of the lake, he added.
Abubacar said Lake Lanao is currently categorized as Class C since all freshwaters not yet classified are assumed to be Class C.
The usage of Class C freshwaters includes the propagation and growth of fish and other aquatic resources, recreational water activities, and industrial water supply particularly for manufacturing purposes.
However, results of the water quality sampling conducted by the EMB-10 in 28 sampling stations show that Lake Lanao passed the Class A classification.
Class A freshwaters fall under the Public Water Supply Class II category and can be sourced as drinking water provided they undergo some treatments in order to meet the National Standards for Drinking Water (NSDW) of the Philippines. Treatments may include coagulation, sedimentation, filtration and disinfection, among others.
No comments