Study confirms Cagayan’s agri lands in danger from saltwater intrusion

TUGUEGARAO CITY, Philippines – The Japan International Cooperation Agency’s (JICA) Feasibility Study on Flood Control Project in Cagayan revealed recently that the possibility of saltwater flowing through the province’s agricultural lands is not remote. According to the JICA study, there is a big possibility that sea water would soon be siphoned by the pumping stations of the National Irrigation Administration if quarry operations at the rivers leading to the mouth of the sea remain uncontrolled. The report revealed that saltwater will be pumped out to the irrigation system flowing down to nearly 10,000 hectares of Cagayan’s agricultural lands. Citing the JICA study, religious leaders urged the government to consider filing charges against financiers of dredging operations along the rivers of Aparri and Camalaniugan. Fr. Manny Catral, social action director of the Archdiocese of Tuguegarao, said that unless action is taken urgently to address the concerns raised by the study, the towns of Lallo, Camalaniugan, Aparri and Buguey are likely to be affected by saltwater intrusion. “We once again call on the government to please do something to stop the illegal quarrying in our rivers to avoid destruction to our environment," he said. The illegal sand quarrying along the rivers of Cagayan by foreign nationals has already caused heavy siltation on river beds, endangering some endemic sea species and destruction of food source due to possible inland saltwater intrusion. - GMANews.TV