Chieftain
in agta community

Quirino Province

From a 2016 disaster response mission in Quirino, where rains from Typhoon Lawin caused severe flooding in Northern Luzon due to denuded watersheds. In this Agta community in Nagtipunan, the chieftain shows to us the path carved by floodwaters, and how their water source was a single PVC pipe bringing water from a mountain spring.  The same pipe branch has interconnected hoses that provide water for drinking and other domestic use in the community. 

Healthy forests have a role in regulating and providing water, as they reduce flooding by intercepting rainfall, and at the same time enhance the ability of soil for groundwater recharge.