ILOILO CITY – The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)-6 (Western Visayas) is focusing on three priorities – disaster resiliency, climate action, and water security – this year.

DENR-6 Regional Director Livino Duran said the three priorities are anchored on Chapter 16 of the Regional Development Plan or the “Accelerate Climate Action and Strengthen Disaster Resilience Plan.”

Duran said disaster resiliency is the not just the work of the DENR-6 alone but also in close coordination with other national government agencies and local government units (LGUs) in Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Guimaras, Iloilo, and Negros Occidental provinces as well as the highly urbanized cities of Iloilo and Bacolod.

“The DENR’s mandate is focused on the delineation of public easements, especially the riverbanks and coastal areas. This is to prevent occurrences of disasters in landslide prone and flood prone areas,” said Duran.

However, areas prone to disasters have been occupied with public easement and cadastral survey having been conducted more than 100 years ago.

Duran said that relocating affected residents is the responsibility of the Department of Human Settlements 

For climate action, the DENR-6 has an ongoing reforestation program under the Enhanced National Greening Program (ENGP).

Water security is DENR-6’s newest thrust, with key concern for the critical watersheds and river systems as well as identifying other underground water sources such as aquifers, which can be done by the DENR-attached agency Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB).

“Identifying our productive aquifers could help guide our LGUs. Ideally, land use above ground of these productive aquifers should be agricultural, not commercial or residential. We should move ahead – identify the exact location (of the aquifers) to protect these and for the LGU to anticipate proper zoning scheme,” added Duran.