Bayombong—Gov. Carlos Padilla here has called on concerned Novo Vizcayanos to join and attend the upcoming Water Summit organized by the provincial government to heighten awareness on water conservation and protection of watersheds in the province.
Padilla said the summit is expected to draw close to 600 stakeholders from the Cagayan Valley region on Sept. 21 at the Nueva Vizcaya Convention Center in this town.
“This summit aims to draw up people’s initiative that would unite all stakeholders to protect our commons—the source of our much-needed water,” he said.
Padilla said the province’s critical role as a primary source of water for northern and central Luzon has emerged in various fora where government laid down regional development plans, such as the National Economic and Development Authority recognizing Nueva Vizcaya as Cagayan Valley’s Watershed Haven.
He further said that the WS will also solicit support from all stakeholders towards forging the 2018 Water Declaration reiterating the province’s role as a watershed haven of Luzon, unite multi-sectoral action plan to implement programs based on the 2018 Water Declaration.
Organizers also added that the topics to be discussed during the WS are: Water and Irrigation Situationer, Water Quality Monitoring, Watershed Integrity, Water and Human Rights, Water from the Point of View of Science and Water and Faith.
They said the scarcity of water has begun to manifest due to unregulated logging, slash and burn agriculture and mining.