LET’S BUILD WATER IMPOUNDING PONDS FOR FLOOD CONTROL, IRRIGATION AND AQUACULTURE

 LET’S BUILD WATER IMPOUNDING PONDS FOR FLOOD CONTROL, IRRIGATION AND AQUACULTURE

Imagine if every barangay had a modest pond that performs three vital jobs at once: catching excess rain during typhoons, storing water for crops in the dry season, and raising fish for food and livelihood. With proper filtration, that same pond could even supply potable water. With the right design, vegetables could be grown around the perimeter—or even on floating rafts. If this “three-in-one” solution is so obvious, why are we not doing it?

A “small water-impounding system” is simply an earth-filled structure built across a narrow depression to harvest rainfall and runoff. In short: we don’t need mega-dams; we need smart, community-scale ponds. Fed by rainwater collection and natural runoff, these ponds can catch sudden surges of water (flood control), store it (irrigation), and support fish (aquaculture). Install basic filtration—sand and gravel filters, UV treatment—and the water becomes potable.

Around the pond, we can plant leafy greens, fruit trees, bamboo, or use floating gardens. Add ducks, and you add a natural loop of pest control, fertilizer, and an extra livelihood source. Integrated aquaculture systems around the world already combine fish, vegetables, and ducks under one productive cycle.

So why isn’t the Philippines doing this widely? Institutional fragmentation, lack of a binding national mandate, limited technical capacity at the barangay level, land-use constraints, and the usual bureaucratic silos. Interestingly, there is a proposed national measure: House Bill No. 8833, filed by Rep. Teodorico “Nonong” Haresco Jr. It would require all cities and municipalities to build water-impounding facilities for flood control, potable water, and irrigation. A good step—but still a proposal.

Existing laws already make this possible. Presidential Decree 1067 (the Water Code) affirms state responsibility over water resources. The Local Government Code (RA 7160) empowers LGUs to build infrastructure for public welfare, which can include water-impounding ponds. The legal basis is there; what’s missing is coordination, urgency, and a unified push.

Which agencies should work together? Many:
• DILG, to guide and mobilize LGUs.
• DENR, for environmental clearances and watershed protection.
• NIA, for irrigation and engineering support.
• DOST, for filtration and monitoring technologies.
• BFAR, for aquaculture planning.
• DPWH, for structural and spillway design.
• DA, for crop integration and food-security programs.
• NWRB, for water rights and regulation.
• CCC and NDRRMC, for climate adaptation and disaster-risk reduction.

Could cooperatives be empowered through the CDA? Absolutely. Cooperatives could manage and maintain these ponds, run aquaculture operations, produce vegetables, and distribute both water and food. This is community-based resilience in its purest form.

Do we have real examples? Yes. The Philippines already has the Small Water Impounding System (SWIS) standard, and the Bureau of Soils and Water Management has long implemented the Small Water Impounding Project (SWIP). Even the Candaba Swamp in Pampanga—though a natural wetland—demonstrates how seasonal water retention can double as agricultural land in the dry months. We are not starting from zero.

My view is simple: this is a low-hanging solution with high-impact results. Flood control, irrigation, aquaculture, potable water, vegetables, ducks—one pond, many benefits. It aligns perfectly with climate resilience, food security, and rural livelihood development.

My suggestions:

1. Pilot 2–3 barangays in flood-prone or water-scarce areas.
   
   

2. Form a multi-agency steering group with LGUs and cooperatives.
   
   

3. Develop a design manual: sizing, runoff calculations, filtration units, aquaculture species, vegetable and duck integration.
   
   

4. Set clear monitoring metrics: water level, quality, productivity, maintenance, community use.
   
   

5. Scale up through HB 8833 or LGU ordinances and proper budgeting.
   
   

Why isn’t this already widespread? Cost? Capacity? Land tenure? Or simply lack of imagination? Whatever the reason, we cannot afford to waste water—or opportunities—any longer. Water is not just a threat during floods; it is an asset when stored, managed, and shared.

The tools exist. The urgency is real. Let’s build these ponds.

RAMON IKE V. SENERES

www.facebook.com/ike.seneres iseneres@yahoo.com senseneres.blogspot.com 09088877282/06-21-2026