What is a Watershed?

Every body of water (e.g., rivers, lakes, ponds, streams, and estuaries) has a watershed.
The watershed is the area of land that drains or sheds water into a specific receiving
waterbody, such as a lake or a river. As rainwater or melted snow runs downhill in the
watershed, it collects and transports sediment and other materials and deposits them into
the receiving waterbody.

What is Watershed Management?

Watershed management is a term used to describe the process of implementing land use
practices and water management practices to protect and improve the quality of the water
and other natural resources within a watershed by managing the use of those land and
water resources in a comprehensive manner.

Joint Law Enforcement and Dismantling Operation

NPC-Caliraya-Lumot Watershed Area Team (CLWAT), DENR-CENRO Sta. Cruz and

202nd Infantry Brigade Phil. Army conducted Joint Law Enforcement and Dismantling
Operation last March 11, 2019 at Sitio Kinatiklihan, Brgy. San Antonio, Kalayaan,
Laguna, within Caliraya-Lumot Watershed Forest Reserve (CLWFR).

Watershed protection and enforcement of forestry laws is among the major programs of
NPC-CLWAT to prevent the CLWFR from further damage. During the patrolling and
surveillance operations of NPC-CLWAT personnel in Caliraya Lake, a hidden sawmill
operation was discovered. Such illegal activities largely contribute to the degradation of
remaining vegetation in CLWFR.

NPC-CLWAT organized the Joint Law Enforcement and Dismantling Operation upon
confirmation of operation of illegal sawmill in the area. The combined forces of NPC,
DENR and Philippine Army mobilized early in the morning of March 11, 2019 using the
motorboat and speedboat of NPC-CLWAT as well as speedboat of Philippine Army. The
joint operation resulted to apprehension of the following:

Destruction of natural vegetation is primarily caused by deforestation. Other major causes are wildfire and
overexploitation. Deforestation not only occurs as a result of firewood extraction by the local population
but also as a result of the creation of arable as well as pastoral land. As population figures rise, the
extraction of firewood and thus the bias between firewood production and usage increases, therefore
reinforcing deforestation and destruction of natural vegetation. Furthermore the growing firewood
deficiency is often substituted by dung or harvest surpluses, which, if used appropriately, may be used as
fertilizers. Resultant to this substitute usage of dung and harvest excesses by the local population, soil
fertility may decrease.
Alternation of Discharge

Alternation of discharge often shows in a decreased discharge amount or frequency. The latter often
includes the occurrence of flash floods, which are short but very intense flood events. Alternation of
discharge occurs due to a degradation of vegetation and the aridification of topsoil. Furthermore the
process also increases soil erosion (due to floods)[3].
Alternation of discharge is the degradation feature which affects the sustainable use of the MHP the most,
since without a continuous water flow, the electricity supply cannot be provided.

Changes in Soil Moisture and Groundwater

Decrease of soil moisture and groundwater as well as a decrease of groundwater recharge are further
features of degradation[12]. Due to the removal of the vegetation cover, the topsoil experiences an
increase of evaporation and hence the formation of air spaces (aridification), which in turn reduces the
water conductivity. This leads, on the one hand, to the creation of an evapotranspiration barrier, however,
on the other hand it results in a decreasing infiltration rate and thus in increased surface runoff[3].
Changes in soil moisture and groundwater thus not only decrease the retention capacity of the soil but
also increase the sediment load in the rivers which in turn negatively affects the sustainable use of the
MHP.