Assessment and Evaluation of IWRM Implementation in Palawan, Philippines

According to the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 6), the world needs to sustainably manage water resources through integrated water resource management (IWRM). The Philippines is committed to this goal by ensuring the implementation of IWRM at all levels. Concurrently, there is growing evidence that there is presently no consolidated data on the status of implementation at the sub-national level. With water shortages on the increase, it's more important than ever to find solutions to settle disputes and trade-offs so that water can be distributed effectively, sustainably, and equally. This paper aims to investigate the degree of implementation of IWRM that presents the actual state of affairs in terms of water management at the sub-national level. This study is focused on Palawan Province, with the following sites: Puerto Princesa City, El Nido, Roxas, and Taytay. A structured survey questionnaire was drawn up in accordance with the existing questionnaire developed for this purpose. The obtained data were computed using the steps developed for calculating the indicators of IWRM implementation degree. Puerto Princesa City, El Nido, Roxas, and Taytay have the following IWRM ratings: 39.93, 32.03, 37.99, and 36.32%, respectively, which means "medium-low" in which the IWRM components have largely been institutionalized, and deployment is well underway. In these regions, a subnational water management scheme exists, but its maximum capacity is mostly unrealized due to numerous constraints. The findings show that the numerous water laws are confusing and that water data for planning purposes is lacking. Even though there are many water agencies, they are not interconnected. This study is useful for successful IWRM implementation, which should encourage sustainable water resource management for environmental sustainability. Integrated methods for water resource management help to organize sustainable growth by assessing how water is handled in agriculture, urban applications, and the surrounding ecosystems. Doi: 10.28991/CEJ-2022-08-02-08 Full Text: PD

Drying Kinetics of Mango Seeds in a Greenhouse-type Solar Dryer

A greenhouse-type solar dryer is employed in drying mango seeds, which are insignificant by-products in a mango processing facility. Wireless sensor networks (TelosB nodes) were used in monitoring process conditions such as temperature (T), relative humidity (RH), and illuminance (lux) inside the solar dryer. Moisture contents during the drying period were measured at different sample tray levels (tray 1, tray 3, and tray 5) and the drying kinetics were established. Drying curves of the sample for sunny, cloudy, and rainy conditions were compared. The drying rates and effective diffusivity were calculated and estimated for the different sample tray levels and for the three weather conditions during the nine-month experimental period. Results showed that the tray level has a significant effect on the drying rates and effective diffusivity of the samples wherein the drying rate is faster for higher tray levels. The same phenomenon is observed for the three weather conditions, and the fastest drying rates were observed during sunny periods. Curve fitting was done using the obtained drying kinetic data. Applying the 14 empirical thin-layer drying models, the drying of mango seeds in the greenhouse-type solar dryer can be best described by the approximation of the diffusion model. The drying kinetics for mango seeds established in this study is a first for a fully functioning industrial-scale greenhouse-type solar dryer. This study is found to be useful in the design and scale-up of a solar dryer wherein agricultural by-products can be dried more efficiently using solar energy, thereby reducing energy costs

Forming factors and properties of soils developed over limestone in Galicia

[Abstract] We describe the forming factors, properties, typology and distribution of soils developed over limestone in Galicia. According to the degree of development, three main tipes are distinguished. AR soils in high-erosion localities are decarbonated. AC soils formed by colluvial deposits of limestone material on, hillslopes have high carbonate levels, partly due to the greater solubility of unconsolidated material. ABR soils are found in relatively stable hillslope positions, in flat areas and cracks of rocks. Some are moderately well developed, with Bw horizons that have high carbonate content. Others are highly developed, with thick, totally decarbonated Bt horizons sometimes with low base saturation. The properties of all these soils depend on the degree of decarbonation

Caracterización de suelos con horizonte mólico formado sobre calizas en clima templado húmedo (Galicia, NW España)

[Abstract] Soils with a mollic horizon lying directly over limestone were characterized physicochemically, mineralogically and micromorphologically. The development of these soils involves dissolution of limestone and leaching of the released calcium carbonate under favourable climatic and topographic conditions, the incorporation of insoluble residues (chiefly by inheritance rather than transformation), and the action of efficient humification mechanism. They are classified as Lithic Haprendolls by Soil Taxonomy (1998) and as Rendzic Leptosols by the FAO classification (1998).

A Wireless Sensor Network (WSN)–Based Water Quality Monitoring for the Characterization of Fishing Grounds Near the Mining Areas of Tubay, Agusan Del Norte, Philippines

Water quality has an impact on the fishing and aquaculture industry of a community. Tubay Bay is one of the main sources of coastal products of nearby cities like Butuan and Cabadbaran and also serves as the navigation routes of hauling ships of mining companies. Of the Water Quality Index (WQI), the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) water quality data shows that the pH levels exceeded the limit. This paper presents the initial outputs in the development of a low-cost wireless sensor network (WSN) system using open-source hardware platforms to monitor the pH of the water bodies at Tubay, Agusan del Norte, Philippines. The proposed system is devised to be highly scalable in terms of the type of sensors, the number of sensor nodes, and the technology applied for each node. This is well suited for a wider coverage of monitoring the WQIs of Tubay Bay. Results of this study showed a good transmission performance of real-time water quality data in any areas where GSM signal is present. The established platform and database of this study could provide valuable information that could support or contradict claims by the local government units (LGUs) on the effects of mining activities to the agro-fishing activities in the area and provide insights on which water quality parameters or water condition that are highly correlated to pH must be closely monitored. This demonstrates the use of WSN in establishing a low cost but effective monitoring tool that can be replicated in other areas that need extensive monitoring

Extreme Event-based Rainfall-runoff Simulation Utilizing GIS Techniques in Irawan Watershed, Palawan, Philippines

River flow assessments and ecologically sustainable water management plans are now possible due to the advancement of sophisticated computer models. The US Army Corps of Engineers developed the HEC-HMS model, which can be used for various hydrological simulations. Rainfall-runoff modeling aids in estimating peak flows, which is critical for water resource management planning. On December 18, 2017, a heavy rainfall event in the ungauged Irawan basin in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, Philippines, was simulated to determine the peak flow and amount of water. The current research aims to construct a rainfall-runoff simulation model. A specific hyetograph is used to make the hydrographs for the basin. This study utilizes ArcGIS and QGIS, which perform the geospatial analysis and provide the HEC-HMS model's hydrologic modeling inputs. The hydrological parameters were determined using soil type, land use, and land cover maps. Incorporating SCS loss, Clark unit hydrograph, and Muskingum flow routing, HEC-HMS was employed in the rainfall-runoff simulation. Rainfall data corresponding to the recorded streamflow was used to calibrate and validate the parameters. Several performance metrics, including Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) and Percentage Bias (PBIAS), were utilized to evaluate the overall effectiveness of the system. An effective decision-making and warning system can be implemented using the developed model. Doi: 10.28991/CEJ-2023-09-01-017 Full Text: PD

Distribution and Origin of Iron Oxides in Soils over Limestone

[Resumen] Se pretende conocer la distribuci6n y el origen de los compuestos de hierro en suelos formados sobre calizas en Galicia. Predominan las formas minerales de hierro, encontrando en la fracción arena magnetita, goethita y/o hematites y excepcionalmente ilmenita, que se consideran heredadas del material de partida. En lámina delgada se observaron goethita y hematites como granos aislados, constituyendo nódulos e integrados en fragmentos de caliza. En la arcilla, trazas de goethita están presentes en casi todos los perfiles; s610 en uno de ellos la hematites es el único 6xido de hierro. La goethita puede haberse formado tanto por neoformaci6n como por microdivisi6n a partir de las fracciones gruesas, siendo este último fen6meno el que ha originado la hematites de la fracci6n arcilla. En dos perfiles la goethita va acompañada de magnetita y se discute la posible existencía y formaci6n de maghemita.[Abstract] Iron distribution in soils formed over limestone of Galicia is studied an the origin of the different iron forms is established. Organic iron is very scarce and mineral iron components dominate. Magnetite, goethite and / or hematite, less cornmonly ilmenite, are found in the sand fraction; they are considered as interited from the parent material. In polished sections goethite an hematite appear as single grains, nodules and il1corporated into limestone fragments. In the clay fraction, traces of goethite are present in aH except one of the profiles where only traces of hematite are indentified. Neoformation and microdivision from coarse fractions can act in the genesis of goethite; only microdivision is considered as the origin of hematite. Magnetite accompanies goethite in two profiles; the possible presence of maghemite and its origin is also discusse