DEPARTMENT OF

AGRICULTURAL AND
BIOSYSTEMS ENGINEERING
Visca, Baybay City, Leyte, PHILIPPINES
Telephone: (053) 525-0140 local 1015
Email: dabe@vsu.edu.ph
Website: www.vsu.edu.ph

ABEn 176 – LAND AND WATER CONSERVATION ENGINEERING

Name: Andrea Nicole G. Espino Course and Year: BSABE-4

Laboratory Exercise No. 1

Inventory Report on Water Resources Development in the Philippines

I. INTRODUCTION
From an engineering perspective focused on soil and water conservation,
water resource development projects represent tangible solutions aimed at serving
various purposes. These include promoting environmental conservation, ensuring
human safety, facilitating navigation through the creation of deep-water ports and
inland waterways, mitigating flood and storm damage, generating hydropower,
supplying water for irrigation, municipal, and industrial purposes, supporting
recreational activities, enhancing fish and wildlife habitats, and fostering soil
conservation (The White House, 1998).
Water as a crucial resource supporting various sectors including agriculture,
industry, urban development, and human need. Being able to understand the
geography of water infrastructure initiatives, which includes reservoirs, irrigation
systems, water supply networks, and dams, that are necessary for efficient resource
management and sustainable development. The conduct of this inventory, allows the
students to identify the background of the project, including its history, purposes and
other necessary information that led to an informed decision-making in completing
the project.

II. MATERIALS
1. Computer or mobile phone with internet connection.
2. Any document reflecting needed information of the featured water resource
development project.
III. METHODS
The student used the internet as a resource for finding water resource
development project located in the Philippines; with this, a report about the featured

Vision: A globally competitive university for science, technology, and environmental conservation.
Mission: Development of a highly competitive human resource, cutting-edge scientific knowledge
and innovative technologies for sustainable communities and environment.
 project was made which included the projects brief history, purpose, relevant
information, and pictures.

IV. RESULT AND DISCUSSION

LOWER AGUSAN DEVELOPMENT PROJECT (LADP)
Agusan del Norte, Philippines

Figure 1. Flood Sluice Gate constructed by the Flood Control Component

(Awano, H., 2009)

Project Description
The flood management project is a component of the Cotabato-Agusan River
Basin Program (CARBDP), established in 1978 by the DPWH through Presidential
Decree 1556. This program aimed to enhance the development of the Cotabato River
and Agusan River basins. The LADP-FCC project was executed in two phases: FC-
Phase I from 1988 to 2000, and FC-Phase II from 1997 to 2007. The total project cost
reached about P5.557 billion; the funding was secured through a concessional loan
from the Bank of Japan, now known as the Japan International Cooperation Agency
(JICA), under the Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund (OECF).

The flood control infrastructure, situated along the Agusan River's banks as it traverses
Butuan City, consists of earth levees on the east bank and reinforced concrete
floodwalls along with earth levees on the west bank. These structures were erected to
bolster the region's development prospects by safeguarding Butuan City and its
environment from flooding and facilitating intensified agricultural output through
irrigation. Historically, the area has grappled with flood-related damages to properties
and businesses, as well as the need for periodic evacuations of residents during
monsoon seasons and tropical depressions, a challenge dating back to the 1920s or
possibly earlier.

Vision: A globally competitive university for science, technology, and environmental conservation.
Mission: Development of a highly competitive human resource, cutting-edge scientific knowledge
and innovative technologies for sustainable communities and environment.
 The LADP has successfully realized its objectives by curbing floodwater from
inundating Butuan City. Consequently, the region's development prospects, with
Butuan City serving as the regional hub, have seen notable advancement since the
project's inception. It is evident that the LADP Flood Control Component has made
significant strides toward achieving its intended impact (NEP, 2015).

Figure 1. Project Location (NEDA., 2019)

Brief history of the project:

The Agusan River, originating from Compostela Valley, stretches
approximately 390 kilometers in length, making it the longest river in Mindanao.
Flowing from south to north, it goes towards a direction meeting the Butuan Bay at its
mouth in Butuan City. Its basin encompasses an area of 11,400 square kilometers,
reaching peak yields during heavy rainfalls throughout the year. However, during
monsoons and typhoons, the tributaries feeding the Agusan River intensify the
situation, affecting a large area of low-lying riverside lands from Agusan del Sur that

Vision: A globally competitive university for science, technology, and environmental conservation.
Mission: Development of a highly competitive human resource, cutting-edge scientific knowledge
and innovative technologies for sustainable communities and environment.
 locals call “Upper Agusan”; down towards Lower Agusan, where Butuan City is situated
still as it is immersed and suffers floodwater.

Figure 2. Year 1923 photographed flood event (NEDA., 2019)

Key informants have provided photographs and firsthand accounts of historical

flood events dating back to as early as 1923, persisting for 47 days, and from 1961
through 1962. Another known flood event, according to sources, occurred in 1963 and
lasted for 55 days. Figure 2 depicts one of the earliest documented floods in 1923,
flooding the Poblacion with waters from the Agusan River reaching approximately a
meter in height. Locals resorted to using dugout bancas, known as "baroto," for
transportation along city streets. The photograph captures a residential-business area,
with the belfry of St. Joseph Church visible in the background, and the Plaza in front of
it. This scene vividly illustrates the disruption to the daily lives of Butuan City residents,
with schools, offices, and stores closed, effectively impacting the local economy and
overall well-being of the population.

Vision: A globally competitive university for science, technology, and environmental conservation.
Mission: Development of a highly competitive human resource, cutting-edge scientific knowledge
and innovative technologies for sustainable communities and environment.
 Figure 3 During the flood of 1923, transportation shifted to dugout bancas known as
"baroto." (NEDA., 2019)

Purpose
The purpose of the project is to address flooding problems in lower Agusan and
LADP has fulfilled its envisioned objective by preventing floodwater from the Agusan
River in flooding Butuan City and the development potential of the region, with Butuan
City as the regional center, increased continuous progress have been observed since
the project was implemented. It is evident that the LADP Flood Control Component
has made significant strides toward achieving its intended impact (NEP, 2015).

Relevant information
Flood prevention measures include a river floodway spanning 17,980 hectares,
levees extending 26 kilometers, flood walls covering 4 kilometers, and bridge viaducts
spanning 600 meters. Irrigation infrastructure, catering to 8,500 hectares, comprises
two pumping stations, main and lateral channels spanning 125 kilometers, canal
structures stretching 450 kilometers, and roads spanning 142 kilometers (TCGI
Engineers, 2016).

V. CONCLUSION
Water infrastructure or resource development project is essential to achieving
sustainable development, which is one of the goals in the field of agriculture and
biosystems engineering. It is a practical solution that guarantees access to clean water,
which has a cascading effect when supplied to the agricultural sector, promoting food
security, economic growth, and the management of water resources for the

Vision: A globally competitive university for science, technology, and environmental conservation.
Mission: Development of a highly competitive human resource, cutting-edge scientific knowledge
and innovative technologies for sustainable communities and environment.
 population's safe drinking water as well as for the mitigation of the effects of climate
change (disaster prevention in flood-prone areas or reduction of water resources) for
human welfare. Achieving long-term sustainability goals and creating communities that
are ready and resilient depend on realizing the value of investing on effective water
resource development projects and possessing sufficient expertise in relevant fields.
We prepare the way for future generations to live in a sustainable manner by giving
water infrastructure development and maintenance priority.

VI. REFERENCES
The White House. (1998, June). Water resources development projects.
https://clintonwhitehouse5.archives.gov/pcscb/rmo_water.html
Awano, H. (2009). External Evaluation: Lower Agusan Development. Project.
https://www2.jica.go.jp/en/evaluation/pdf/2009_PH-P180_4_f.pdf
National Economic and Development Authority. (2019). Final Technical Report on the
Impact Assessment of the Lower Agusan Development Project - Flood Control
Component (LADP-FCC).
NEP. (2015). Neda.gov.ph. https://nep.neda.gov.ph/evaluations/89
TCGI Engineers. (2016). Water / Environment | TCGI Engineers. Tcgiinc.com.
https://tcgiinc.com/field-of-practice/water-environment/

Vision: A globally competitive university for science, technology, and environmental conservation.
Mission: Development of a highly competitive human resource, cutting-edge scientific knowledge
and innovative technologies for sustainable communities and environment.