NAGA CITY -- Archbishop Leonardo Z. Legaspi has called on stakeholder to act on an impending water crisis the Metro Naga Water District (MNWD) faces, two to three years from now.

        Legaspi said the local government units, civil society and the local church must address the issues of the study Care Philippines, World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) and International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) that found that the groundwater reserve of the Metro Naga areas is fast depleting.

        The study on hydrology of the groundwater sources of the MNWD showed that the groundwater reserve is now utilized to provide potable water by 4,480 cubic meters per day.

        It is projected that the utilization of the reserve groundwater by the MNWD is estimated to reach 13,532 cu.m. by 2010.

        Legaspi said that it alarms him that parishioners in some areas in this city water consumers are beginning to complain of water supply lack during peak hours.

        The bishop said he has already hosted several meetings with the LGUs and civil society regarding the projected water shortage but he said he has to see yet concrete action from the stakeholders.

        Legaspi said the local Church is willing to spend to help arrest the depletion of groundwater because he said the lives of the parishes depend on it.

        The bishop cited the recommendation of the study to rehabilitate Mt. Isarog so rainwater may infiltrate the mountain’s environs and downstream replenish the groundwater reserve of Naga City.

        Specifically, the hydro-geological assessment recommended the rehabilitation and protection of the Yabo watershed overlooking Naga City. The Yabo watershed contributes 61 percent of the total groundwater recharge of the city.

        Three villages - Panicuason and Carolina, Naga City and Palestina, Pili - are inside the Yabo watershed. The study estimated that the Yabo watershed has 21 percent infiltration capacity.

        The present land use dominant in the three villages inside Yabo watershed comprise of agricultural lands, mostly coconut production, and grasslands.

        The study recommended that a method called “soil water conservation practices” (SWCP) must be applied in the Yabo watershed. Using three alternative combinations, it is recommended that the system of planting must be practiced as follows: (1) Vetiver + Jackfruit, (2) Vetiver + Citrus and (3) Veviter + Jathropa. Vetiver is a kind of grass used as hedgerows in agricultural lands.

        It estimated that the use of vetiver grass in watershed management scheme would yield groundwater recharge of 400,405 cu.m. for 504-hectare intervention at Yabo watershed; and 770,150 cu.m. if intervention covers 969 hectares.