SUCCESSFUL MEETING. HE Goffin discussing with Fr. Roberto “Bobby” C Yap SJ and the team. Supplied photo. 

CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines --- The team members of BIMWAM (Building up an Integrated Methodology for Water resources Assessment and Management) project, funded by ARES-CDD (Académie Supérieure de Recherche et d’Enseignement Supérieur- Cellule de Coopération au Developpement) come together semiannually to discuss the progress of the research.

The meetings are usually attended by University of Nammur professor Vincent Hallet, Université Catholique de Louvain professor Ignace Adant, University of Mons professor Pascal Goberniaux, La Salle Bacolod professor Ana Rosa Carmona, and Dr Guadalupe Calalang and Fr Mars Tan SJ Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan. This year, Engr Noe Desmet from Louvain and Felix de Selys Longchamps join the group.

His Excellency Michel Goffin, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium, joined the meeting on January 29^th, 2020.

After meeting with XU president Fr Roberto “Bobby” C Yap SJ, Mr. Goffin was introduced to the team members afterwhich Hallet, the North Coordinator and Calalang, the South Coordinator, introduced the BIMWAM Research Program. 

Then, Mark Sabines and Adrian Agbon, the two PhD scholars presented the progress of their studies.

It was followed by a discussion of the different stakeholders, MERWASCO for Medina and OPWA for Opol. The meeting was also attended by members of the local government units of the two municipalities as well representatives from El Salvador where the research is done.

HE Goffin, after lunch, expressed how the Belgian government through ARES is supporting projects helping local communities of Mindanao to improve their daily lives and is looking forward to other initiatives and partnerships involving Belgian universities and Xavier Ateneo.∎

ALL EARS (L-R). HE Goffin, prof Adant, prof Goberniaux, and prof Hallet. Supplied Photo.

WARM WELCOME. Welcoming HE Goffin in front of the XU Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Supplied photo. 

LUNCH TIME. HE Goffin and Fr Bobby Yap smile together for a shot. Supplied Photo.

Details

Published: 04 February 2020

Hits: 3405

AGREEMENT. (From left to right) Opol Mayor Maximino Seno, XU’s vice-president for basic education Dr Dulce Dawang, and BIMWAM project coordinator for the south Dr Guadalupe Calalang are the principal signatories of the memorandum of agreement between the Municipality of Opol and BIMWAM research team. Photo by Rogelio Amarille. 

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines — The project dubbed as “Building up an Integrated Methodology for Water Resources Assessment and Management in Urban Coastal Areas” or BIMWAM has recently established ties with the local government unit (LGU) of the Municipality of Opol and the Opol Waterworks Cooperative (OPWACO) for research and community empowerment.

BIMWAM, LGU Opol, and OPWACO signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) on Wednesday, July 4 to formalize their respective roles and commitments in the said project. The Office of International Cooperation and Networking (OICN) of Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan facilitated the event. 

The principal signatories of the MOA were Opol Mayor Maximino Seno, XU’s vice-president for basic education Dr Dulce Dawang (on behalf of XU president Fr Roberto Yap SJ), and BIMWAM project coordinator for the south Dr Guadalupe Calalang.

“I am thankful for this opportunity to collaborate with Xavier University and our partners from Belgium,” Seno said. “We hope this project will be successful and to be beneficial to the people of Opol.”

BIMWAM aims to develop a methodology to assess the water resources, potential, and quality in urban coastal areas, particularly in the municipalities of Opol and Medina (both are parts of Northern Mindanao region), by reinforcing the local scientific capacities and expertise.

On January 24 this year, BIMWAM and Medina Rural Waterworks and Sanitation Cooperative (MERWASCO) signed a similar MOA for the Municipality of Medina area.

Water resource assessment 

The group also targets to empower water cooperatives and other LGUs by improving their strategies regarding sustainable water management through the implementation of a dedicated decision-making tool under the supervision of Xavier Ateneo.

Besides XU, University of St La Salle, Université de Namur, Catholique Université de Louvain, and Université de Mons of Belgium are instrumental in enabling this research project to be implemented in Opol and Medina. 

Dr Vincent Hallet of Université de Namur, in his presentation in January this year, showed the Geographic Information System (GIS)-generated maps and instruments to be used to measure water quality of groundwater and intrusion of saltwater, among other factors.   

Hallet said that due to the high probability of the intrusion of salt water, it is harder to access potable groundwater in coastal areas. One of the challenges of this project is to locate and map out water sources in the municipalities and determine their quality.

He added that BIMWAM could serve as a prototype of a standardized methodology for water resource assessment that could be replicated in Cagayan de Oro and other coastal communities in Mindanao.

OFFICE BLESSING. Fr Mars Tan SJ (rightmost), rector of the Loyola House Jesuit Community, leads the blessing of the BIMWAM office, located on the second floor of the XU Agriculture building. Pictured here are (from left to right) Dr Ana Rosa Carmona of USLS, BIMWAM project coordinator for the south Dr Guadalupe Calalang, PhD in Economics scholar Adrian Agbon, and Tan. Photo by Rogelio Amarille. 

Xavier Ateneo and LGU Opol

Based on the agreement with LGU Opol, Xavier Ateneo, through the BIMWAM research team, will provide technical experts to implement the project activities.

The university will also train LGU Opol’s technical employees, who are assigned to groundwater and water quality monitoring, on basic hydro and hydrogeological concepts to improve their monitoring approaches and management.

On the other hand, LGU Opol agreed to grant access to the BIMWAM project researchers to do quantity and quality assessments of their water sources, facilities, and distribution networks such as pump testing, water sampling and monitoring, tracer tests, water technical audits, and other relevant information.

LGU Opol is also committed to safeguarding the BIMWAM monitoring equipment to be installed in the area and to assigning the Office of the Municipal Engineer to coordinate with Xavier Ateneo in making logistical arrangements for field visits and other activities.

OFFICE BLESSING. Select members of the faculty and staff of Xavier Ateneo along with guests attend the blessing of the BIMWAM office, located on the second floor of the XU Agriculture building. 

Xavier Ateneo and OPWACO

The agreement between Xavier Ateneo and OPWACO specified that the university, through the BIMWAM research team, will ensure the smooth implementation of the project and train OPWACO technical personnel on basic hydro and hydrogeological concepts and monitoring.

OPWACO, in turn, will grant the BIMWAM research team access to their existing data on water tariffs, water distribution, cost of operations, and other relevant information.

OPWACO also commits its resources in the conduct of the research activities in Luyong Bonbon, Opol including the security to the BIMWAM monitoring equipment installed in the area.

COLLABORATION. Xavier University through the BIMWAM project, LGU Opol, and cooperatives join hands to develop the methodology to assess water resources in MisOr coastal communities. Photo by Rogelio Amarille. 

Blessing of BIMWAM office

Before the MOA signing on July 4, the BIMWAM office, located on the second floor of the XU Agriculture building, was officially blessed by Fr Mars Tan SJ, rector of the Loyola House Jesuit Community.

During the blessing, Adrian Agbon, one of the two PhD scholars of the BIMWAM project, read the “Issue of Water” section of Pope Francis’ encyclical letter titled “Laudato Si’” (On Care for Our Common Home):

"Other indicators of the present situation have to do with the depletion of natural resources. We all know that it is not possible to sustain the present level of consumption in developed countries and wealthier sectors of society, where the habit of wasting and discarding has reached unprecedented levels. The exploitation of the planet has already exceeded acceptable limits and we still have not solved the problem of poverty.

“Fresh drinking water is an issue of primary importance since it is indispensable for human life and for supporting terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Sources of fresh water are necessary for health care, agriculture, and industry. Water supplies used to be relatively constant, but now in many places, demand exceeds the sustainable supply, with dramatic consequences in the short and long term. Large cities dependent on significant supplies of water have experienced periods of shortage, and at critical moments these have not always been administered with sufficient oversight and impartiality…”

For the BIMWAM project, Agbon (PhD in Economics scholar) is assigned to conduct a socio-economic study while Engr Mark Sabines (PhD in Hydrogeology scholar) will delve into the area of geology that deals with the distribution and movement of groundwater. Both doctorates will be conferred by the partner Belgian universities upon completion of BIMWAM.

The BIMWAM project with Xavier Ateneo as the local lead partner is funded by the Académie de Recherche et d'enseignement (ARES), formerly known as the Commission of Universities for Development or CUD, and will run for a period of five years.∎

Details

Published: 09 July 2018

Hits: 5085

BIMWAM PROJECT. Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan, University of St La Salle, Université de Namur, Catholique Université de Louvain, and Université de Mons of Belgium have joined forces in the research project, “Building up an Integrated Methodology for Water Resources Assessment and Management in Urban Coastal Areas” or BIMWAM. Supplied photo.

By Stephen J Pedroza

Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan, University of St La Salle, Université de Namur, Catholique Université de Louvain, and Université de Mons of Belgium have joined forces in the research project, “Building up an Integrated Methodology for Water Resources Assessment and Management in Urban Coastal Areas” or BIMWAM.

The project was officially launched on Wednesday, January 24, at Xavier Ateneo, attended by scientists from the Philippine and Belgian universities, leaders of water cooperatives of Misamis Oriental, and representatives from local government units and public agencies.

BIMWAM aims to develop a methodology to assess the water resources, potential, and quality in urban coastal areas, particularly in the municipalities of Opol and Medina (both are parts of the Northern Mindanao region), by reinforcing the local scientific capacities and expertise.

“Here at Xavier Ateneo, we are grateful for this partnership and for coming together to collaborate on this important project,” Xavier Ateneo president Fr Roberto C Yap SJ said in his message.

He added: “We do not just do research for research's sake. We are a university in a developing country; therefore, what we do should have social relevance and impact. BIMWAM is in line with our mission as a Jesuit university, wherein this will address local issues on our water resources. It’s important that we have the solid science, analysis, and rigorous work to come up with a methodology to be applied to solve the problems that affect our communities.”

Fr Roberto Ezequiel Rivera SJ, former director of XU - Southeast Asia Rural Social Leadership Institute (SEARSOLIN) and now the president of Ateneo de Naga University, agreed with Yap.

"The BIMWAM project cuts across [the university’s] thematic research areas. Water is one of the crucial issues of the 21st century," Rivera said, “The impact is already being felt in Mindanao, such as during typhoons Sendong and Vinta.”

Besides the leaders of the universities, representatives from the Medina Rural Waterworks and Sanitation Cooperative (MERWASCO), Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Oscar Moreno, and Embassy of Kingdom of Belgium (Manila) counsellor Xavier LeBlanc were present at the signing of the memorandum of agreement.

Dr Vincent Hallet, BIMWAM Project Coordinator for the North and Professor at the Départment de Géologie of Université de Namur

Water resources and quality

One of the project’s targets is to encourage water stakeholders (water distributor coops, LGUs, and communities) to improve their strategies and make sound policies on sustainable water management through the implementation of a dedicated decision-making tool.

Dr Vincent Hallet of Université de Namur, in his presentation, shared the scientific side of the project, including Geographic Information System (GIS)-generated maps and instruments to be used to measure water quality of groundwater and intrusion of saltwater, among other factors.    

Hallet said that due to the high probability of the intrusion of salt water, it is harder to access potable groundwater in coastal areas. One of the challenges of this project is to locate and map out water sources in the two municipalities and determine their quality.

He added that BIMWAM could serve as a prototype of a standardized methodology for water resource assessment that could be replicated in Cagayan de Oro and other coastal communities in Mindanao.

Dr Ignace Adant, Senior Researcher at the Earth and Life Institute of the Université Catholique de Louvain

Change in behavior

For Dr Ignace Adant, senior researcher of the Earth and Life Institute of Université Catholique de Louvain, to achieve sustainable water management there has to be a behavioral change among the stakeholders.  

He said that in the Philippines, although water resources are abundant (per capita water availability is twice as much as the rest of Asia), water needs are not met due to the inadequate support for service providers and the lack of sector planning and reliable information, to name a few of the problems he identified.

“Unsafe water causes economic losses, diarrheal diseases, malnutrition…,” Adant added during his presentation on the socio-economic implications of the monopolization of water supply and price.

For Adant, this is where BIMWAM comes in in the picture of local development. He said there has to be a scientific knowledge (layers of information) and integrated impact assessment methodology to support policymaking on water management.   

Dr Ana Rosa Carmona, Professor at the University of St La Salle

The Bacolod experience

Xavier Ateneo can also learn from the successful undertaking of a similar project funded by the Académie de Recherche et d'enseignement or ARES (formerly the Commission of Universities for Development or CUD) in Bacolod City.

Dr Ana Rosa Carmona of USLS, whose master of science degree was under the CUD scholarship, imparted their research experiences and lessons in conducting water resources mapping in the capital city of the province of Negros Occidental.

For her, it is necessary to take a look at the present water situation in the area and to conduct studies on how barangays (or puroks) utilize (supply and demand) and manage their water resources.

“Critical to this is the need for good information that describes the condition, trend, spatial location, and variability of water resources,” she said.

Carmona’s team, at the end of their project, was able to share a Water Resources Inventory and Mapping to the local governments across their research area to guide community stakeholders in their future water management decisions.  

Dr Guadalupe Calalang, BIMWAM Project Coordinator for the South and Professor at the Agricultural Engineering Department of Xavier Ateneo

For Mindanao

The BIMWAM project with XU as the local lead partner is also funded by the Académie de Recherche et d'enseignement (ARES) and will run for a period of five years.

The project also features a call for applications for two PhD scholarships (PhD in Hydrogeology and PhD in Economics) to be conferred by the Belgian universities.

Dr Guadalupe Calalang, BIMWAM Project Coordinator for the South and Professor at the Agricultural Engineering Department of Xavier Ateneo, said that the panel has interviewed six PhD applicants (as of press time).

Calalang, in her message, also expressed her gratitude to the partners of the project, which she described as a “noble cause for the sustainable water resource development and management in Mindanao.”∎

Mr Xavier LeBlanc, Counsellor at the Embassy of the Kingdom of Belgium (Manila)

Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Oscar Moreno

Engr Isagani Barcelona, General Manager of Medina Rural Waterworks and Sanitation Cooperative (MERWASCO) 

BIMWAM PROJECT. Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan, University of St La Salle, Université de Namur, Catholique Université de Louvain, and Université de Mons of Belgium have joined forces in the research project, “Building up an Integrated Methodology for Water Resources Assessment and Management in Urban Coastal Areas” or BIMWAM. Supplied photo.

Details

Published: 02 February 2018

Hits: 7642