Local Legislators' Toolkit - The Sangguniang Panlalawigan ng ...

SECTION 77. Open Storage.a. <strong>The</strong>y shall be located within reasonable distance from schools, churches,hospitals and other similar buildings, preferably 100 meters away or more.b. <strong>The</strong>ir sound maintenance shall be the responsibility of the applicant.CHAPTER VIIWATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENTSECTION 78. Policy Statements on Water Utilization. In line with the provision ofthe Constitution and as embodied in the Water Code of the Philippines, all water belongs tothe State. <strong>The</strong> ownership of water by the State means that water cannot subject toacquisitive prescription, however the State allows the use and development of water byadministrative concession. <strong>The</strong> Government, through the National Water Board, exercisescontrol and regulation of the water resource pertaining to its utilization, exploitation,development, conservation and protection.In the observance of the above-mentioned principle, the Municipality of Sebaste shallensure an equitable appropriation of water resources to its constituents consistent with theorder of preference adopted by the State as follows;1. Domestic and municipal use;2. Irrigation;3. Power generation;4. Fisheries;5. Livestock raising;6. Industrial use; and7. Others.SECTION 79. Basis for Action. With increasing population and intensification ofeconomic activities the use of water has overtaken its replenishment to the point where thebasic needs would no longer be satisfied. Timely preventive measure shall be taken toprevent water crisis. <strong>The</strong>se concerns call for appropriate actions at the Municipal level,complementing the national effort of ensuring sustainable utilization of water resources.SECTION 80. Water Sources. With the growing population and the expansion ofeconomic activities the need of water has been increasing at a faster rate. This has broughta serious imbalance between supply and demand of potable and usable water. Cognizant ofthis condition it becomes imperative for the Municipal Government to provide and securewater for the current and future generations living in its territorial boundaries:1. It shall be the responsibility of the Municipal Government to identify existing andpotential water sources for domestic and municipal use within the territory of theMunicipality to ensure that there shall be sources of water to satisfy the needs of thepresent and future. This calls for complete inventory of surface river, creek, streamand spring sources along with subsurface aquifer systems. Databases shall beestablished for these water sources with adequate information on quantity andquality. Interim plans should be established on how these water sources shall beaccessed, tapped and developed.2. A data inventory of the water resources to include their physical characteristics,locations and types shall be maintained and updated by the Municipality for futureassessment. <strong>The</strong>se data inventory shall be the basis of municipal water resource262