WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT AREAS

Section 5 of RA 9275 or the Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004 tasked the DENR in coordination with the National Water Resources Board to designate certain areas as water quality management areas (WQMA) using appropriate physiographic units such as watershed, river basins or water resources regions.

 

The objective of the WQMA is to protect, thru stakeholders collaboration, the water body and its tributaries by keeping their water quality within the Water Quality Guidelines or Criteria conforming to the water body’s classification (e.g., Class C or Class SC) or even improve the quality to higher classification (e.g., from C to B or SC to SB).  A WQMA Action Plan will be prepared in order to address water quality issues and problems in the area and later result to the improvement or better water quality of the said water body.

 

 

 

The WQMAs shall be governed by a governing board composed of representatives of mayors and governors of member LGUs, and representatives of relevant national government agencies, duly registered nongovernmental organization, water utility sector, and business sector. The DENR representative through the EMB shall chair the governing board. In the case of the LGUs with memberships on more than one (1) management board, the LGU shall designate only one (1) single representative for all the management areas where it is a member.

There are forty (40) officially- designated WQMAs managed by the Environmental Management Bureau

WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT AREAS

No. REGION DAO WQMA REGION NAME
1 CAR 2013-05 Balili River Cordillera Admin Region
2 CAR 2016-03 Bued River Cordillera Admin Region
3 CAR 2018-02 Upper Amburayan River System Cordillera Admin Region
4 NCR 2012-04 San Juan River System National Capital Region
5 NCR 2018-10 Malabon-Navotas-Tullahan-Tinajeros River System   National Capital Region
6 NCR 2018-12 Las Piñas-Parañaque River System National Capital Region
7 R01 2016-18 Naguilian River System Ilocos Region
8 R01 2011-14 Sinocalan-Dagupan River System Ilocos Region
9 R01 2018-03 Lower Amburayan River System Ilocos Region
10 R01 2021-23 Bolo River System Ilocos Region
11 R02 2013-06 Pinacanauan de Tuguegarao River Cagayan Valley
12 R02 2015-13 Calao-Deliquente-Diadi River System Cagayan Valley
13 R03 2008-07 Marilao-Meycauayan-Obando River System Central Luzon
14 R4A 2013-02 Imus-Ylang Ylang-Rio Grande Rivers Calabarzon
15 R4A 2016-19 Cañas-Maalimango Rivers Calabarzon
16 R4A 2018-11 Iyam-Dumacaa Rivers Calabarzon
17 R4B 2013-03 Calapan River Calapan, Mimaropa
18 R4B 2016-05 Coron Bay Coron, Mimaropa
19 R4B 2016-06 Sabang Bay Sabang, Mimaropa
20 R4B 2021-44 Bacuit – El Nido Bay El Nido, Palawan
21 R05 2016-04 Naga River Watershed Bicol
22 R05 2013-16 Lake Buhi Watershed Bicol
23 R06 2006-18 Tigum-Aganan Watershed Western Visayas
24 R06 2009-11 Iloilo-Batiano River Systems Iloilo, Western Visayas
25 R06 2014-08 Jalaur River System Jalaur, Western Visayas
26 R06 2019-15 Boracay Island WQMCA Boracay, Western Visayas
27 R07 2014-05 Butuanon River Watershed Central Visayas
28 R07 2021-24 Panglao Island Coastal Waters Central Visayas
29 R08 2013-21 Ormoc Bay and its Associated Watersheds Ormoc, Eastern Visayas
30 R08 2018-04 Dupong, Matlang and Merida Eastern Visayas
31 R09 2013-01 Tumaga River Zamboanga Peninsula
32 R09 2016-15 Ayala River Zamboanga Peninsula
33 R10 2013-18 Cagayan de Oro River Basin and Adjacent Rivers Northern Mindanao
34 R10 2016-16 Tagoloan River Basin Northern Mindanao
35 R11 2016-17 Talomo River Davao
36 R11 2013-04 Davao River Davao
37 R12 2009-12 Sarangani Bay Sarangani, Soccsksargen
38 R12 2010-10 Silway River Silway, Soccsksargen
39 R12 2016-14 Lake Sebu Lake Sebu, Soccsksargen
40 R13 2012-11 Taguibo River Caraga