While resort operations in Laguna province have generated income for the owners and gave livelihood opportunities to local residents via tourism-oriented businesses, they have also brought negative side effects in the environment such as the looming water scarcity caused by the industry.
EVEN as resort owners in Calamba City and Los Banos, Laguna are clamoring for the national government to allow them to reopen, some officials managing the country’s environment say the sudden spike in the number of resorts in the area are a “problematic” trend.
In a statement issued Sunday (May 30), the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) announced that it is putting up water conservation policies in the Mount Makiling Forest Reserve (MMFR).
The agency added that the proliferation of resorts in the area, most of which are “water intensive,” threaten the province’s water resource sustainability.
DENR, through its project dubbed “Economics, Policies and Institutions of Groundwater Use by Resorts in Los Baños and Calamba, Laguna”, is now employing Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to analyze the spatial distribution of resorts in the two areas.
It also involves the formulation of a mechanism by which tourists could be charged with a fee for their use of Laguna’s environmental resources.
“The project employs economic methods to analyze the willingness-to-pay of visitors for improved water conservation practices by resorts and the conservation of MMFR to secure water services,” the DENR said in a statement.
Sudden spike
Between 2014 and 2020, the number of resorts in Los Baños jumped from 42 to 171.
The growth was more frenetic in Calamba, as the number of resorts ballooned from 466 to 855 during the same period.
The watershed of Mount Makiling is important in supporting the domestic, agricultural, and industrial water requirements of Los Baños and Calamba City, the DENR said.
“Mount Makiling is a dormant volcano. This is the reason why its underground water gives rise to hot springs. Thus, it encouraged the establishment of numerous resorts with the natural hot spring water in swimming pools and baths,” it explained.
The agency said that while resort operations have generated income for the owners and gave livelihood opportunities to local via tourism-oriented businesses like restaurants, food stalls, convenience stores, “this has brought about negative side effects, such as that of the use of water resources by the industry.”
The DENR project aims to ensure sustainable water operations despite the continuing existence of the resorts.
The report comes as resort owners urged the national and local governments to allow them to resume operations as some resorts are on the verge of bankruptcy due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Laguna province is still under general community quarantine (GCQ) with heightened restrictions for the month of June. (ONT/with report from MB)
Tags: #OpinYonLaguna, #CalambaCity, #resorts, #tourism, #watersustainability