Abundance of surface water at wakeboarding park
ANGELES CITY – The flourishing of the Deca Clark Wakeboard Park (DCWP) in Barangay Margot here, site of a world championship in December last year, is feared to have impacted negatively on the nearby communities.
Nearby Barangay Sapang Bato has begun rationing its potable water to only two hours daily in the wake of an acute water supply from the aquifers.
Now, Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan wants an investigation.
During a press conference yesterday, Pamintuan said he was not informed of the construction of the wakeboard park and was surprised to find that it was already open for business especially with a man-made lake in a landlocked barangay located on a mountainous terrain.
The mayor said he got a call from a barangay official of Sapang Bato and was told of the acute water shortage in his village. He said he immediately called up Angeles City Water District (ACWD) General Manager Reynaldo Liwanag who confirmed the water shortage.
“Ala neng danum ing Sapang Bato (There is no more water in Sapang Bato),” the mayor said Liwanag told him.
Pamintuan said he suspects that there is a connection between the operation of the wakeboard park and its man-made lake which now threatens the aquifers. He said he was taken aback when he was told by the park operators that they got the water for the man-made lake from the rain. “It’s rainwater,” according to them said a flabbergasted Pamintuan.
“Who is responsible for this?” the mayor asked.
No ECC
Meanwhile, environmental management specialist Ramjay Dizon of the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) Region 3, said the wakeboard park did not secure an environmental compliance certificate (ECC) from their office.
An ECC is a document issued by the DENR/EMB after a positive review of an ECC application, certifying that based on the representations of the proponent (wakeboard park, in this case), the proposed project or undertaking will not cause significant negative environmental impact.
The ECC also certifies that the proponent has complied with all the requirements of the environmental impact statement (EIS) system and has committed to implement its approved environmental management plan.
The ECC contains specific measures and conditions that the project proponent has to undertake before and during the operation of a project, and in some cases, during the project’s abandonment phase to mitigate identified environmental impacts.
Environmental management specialist Engr. Doreen Torres said the EMB will conduct an inspection of the wakeboard park and issue a Notice of Violation (ECC) which has a corresponding penalty.
Last December, 201 wakeboard riders and 48 wakeskaters from 32 countries battled for supremacy at the DCWP.
Pamintuan said he was invited by the organizers during the awarding ceremony only to appease him after he questioned the possible environmental impact of the man-made lake. He said he initially wanted to stop the competition but was surprised to find the mayor of Norway who was also invited to the event.
Meanwhile, Mabacalacat City Water District Director Diosdado Pangilinan also said he will move for an investigation of the DCWP.
“We all know that Barangays Margot and Sapang Bato fall within the watershed areas of Clark which is the source of potable water of all the contingent communities,” said Pangilinan. “Hence, we all have a stake in its conservation.”
