MGB VI presents groundwater resource assessment of Guimaras

Iloilo City – Myron Y. de Guzman, supervising geologist of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) Region 6, presented the MGB groundwater resource assessment program during the Guimaras ICM Water-Use and Supply Management Sub-committee on April 11, 2023 held at the Provincial Health Office Conference Room, Province of Guimaras.

DENR PENR Officer Edgardo M. Rostata, CESE, chaired the Water Use and Supply Management Sub-committee implementing the Integrated Coastal Management (ICM) program adopted by the province of Guimaras as its key island development strategy.

Present during the meeting were representatives from the provincial government, five municipalities of Guimaras, academe, private sector specifically water districts, people’s organizations, and national government agencies.  Guimaras ENR Officer Leonard S. Pasiderio represented the governor and welcomed the participants of the meeting.  Pasiderio said one of the issues for the province to be sustainable as an island ecosystem is to have a sustainable water resource.  He said that with the sub-committee on water use and supply working together, it is not impossible to achieve the vision of the province.

De Guzman explained that the groundwater resource assessment program aims to determine the availability and quality of groundwater in various geologic formations rock in the entire country.  MGB has conducted the study on a scale of 1:50,000 to get a general picture of the whole country’s groundwater resources gathering the available data of previous studies conducted.  In Region 6, MGB has conducted the study at the provincial level including Guimaras in 2016 using the 1:50,000 scale.

Showing the 1:50,000 hydro-geologic map of Guimaras, De Guzman explained that good groundwater sources are usually found in the coastal areas where alluvial deposits abound composed mostly of sandstone, mudstone, and siltstone which are porous and can easily hold groundwater

However, De Guzman said a more site-focused study on a 1:250,000 scale for each municipality is needed to get a more detailed data of their locality in terms of groundwater location, quantity, quality, and rate of discharge.  MGB only started the 1:250,000 scale groundwater resource assessment in 2019.  De Guzman said this is a continuing program but we can only target three to four municipalities every year considering time, personnel and budgetary requirements.  Currently, MGB VI has started the assessment in New Lucena and Leon, Iloilo.  (MGB VI)

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