3. ABSTRACT
This study tried to identify the environmental
effects of quarrying in Amburayan river that lies
between the municipality of Sudipen, La Union and
Tagudin, Ilocos Sur, specifically at a geologic
perspective. It further tried to discover the socio-
economic benefits they provided to the residents of
adjacent and nearby barangays within the two
municipalities; and solicited their perceptions on the
pressing effect(s) of the industry.
4. Quarrying were found in Amburayan river; sand
and gravel quarrying at Barangay Bio, Tagudin, and
Ipet, Sudipen, La Union that includes stone
crushing activities. The quarry sites mentioned were
described to be from less excessive to highly excessive.
A shift in the original course of the river has been
confirmed by the residents. They attributed the
rerouted course of the river to the continuous
unplanned gravel extraction therein.
5. The observed physical changes or
environmental effects of the quarrying
operations were: a) for sand quarrying:
weakened soil cohesion leading to sand
dune collapse and air pollution during
windy and stormy days; b) for gravel
quarrying: widened mouth of the river
leading to a widened downstream flow and
diverted water course.
6. The mitigations were concentrated
mostly on more extensive regulatory
schemes: for the DENR to regulate
the quarrying operations, more strict
monitoring of hauling permittees, and
rectification of damaged sites by
environmental interventions.
7. INTRODUCTION
• The Amburayan River spans the Philippine provinces of
Benguet, Ilocos Sur and La Union. The river traverses the
municipalities of Atok, Tublay, Bakun, Buguias, Kapangan and
Kibungan of Benguet, Santol, Bangar and Sudipen of La Union
and Sugpon, Alilem and Tagudin of Ilocos Sur. It supports
agriculture, provides domestic water, and is used for
recreational purposes. The river generates hydro-electric power
and is a site for sand and gravel extraction in some
municipalities.
• With nature as the foremost provider of resources, it has
already been an accepted observation that the economic
growth of any place lies on its resource extractive industries
(Cerilles,1999).
8. OBJECTIVES
Generally, this research work aims to discover the effects of
quarrying in Amburayan river, which could be gradually unveiled by
the following specific objectives:
1. What are the most popular quarry sites of Amburayan as to: sand,
gravel, earth particles or other miscellaneous aggregates?
2. What are the physical effects or natural changes observed in the
quarry sites?
3. How is quarrying categorized as to a) controlled or b) uncontrolled
in the sites?
4. What positive and negative effects were observed among the
residents living near the quarry sites?
9. The Research Paradigm
Amburayan
river
Quarry Sites
Physical effects/
natural changes
Foreseen
Implications
Community
Opinion
Controlled?
No
Gov’t
action
Yes
Quarrying
to proceed
Rectification
of damaged
site
31. CONCLUSION
• During floods, two phenomena happen. a) the river could carry along its
journey sand and gravel from the mountains as a result of eroded
mountains caused by kaingin; then deposit them to lowland rivers,
somewhere at the center, which would pile up causing the elevations to rise
at retarded flows. Another phenomena is that, the water washes out the
finer materials down on the bed, forcing boulders or smaller particles
(more commonly named gravel) to come out. Whatever of these
phenomena happen, there will be a change in the route of the water. This
happened in most of the quarry sites of Amburayan river, where the flow of
water was considerably diverted from an originally northwest to
southwest. The effect of quarrying in Tagudin and Sudipen has been
generally caused by a disturbed course of the water flow which tend to a
changed direction of the flow. Most of the depositions were concentrated at
the center, causing a) a divergence in the flow, b) a shift or changed
direction in the flow, or c) a meander.
32. •The local government units of Ilocos Sur and La
Union have been implementing ordinances to
protect their environment, per testimonies of
respondents.
•Provincial government of La Union recognizes
its role to regulate quarrying by enacting
Ordinance No. 16-92 prohibiting the extraction
of sand and gravel with the use of mechanized
equipment and/or shovel and banning the
picking of stones in selected shorelines
33. •River quarrying poses potentially significant negative
impacts to the environment. The operation of scarifying to
push and accumulate sand and gravel aggregates at the
banks, and extending to the river bed by the use of heavy
equipment, (e.g. pay loader, backhoe, dump trucks) disturbs
the natural cohesion of the soil. As a result, the river bank
is destroyed and the mouth of the river widens. During
rainy seasons, when the upstream volume is large, flooding
results, depositing sand and gravel to the vegetative level,
setting an incidence which gradually causes the top soil to
be washed out, making it unable to support plant life. This
then leads adjacent lands to become barren.
34. RECOMMENDATIONS
1. More intensive and participative information
dissemination campaign, involving the
academe, Local Government Organizations
(LGOs), and Non-Government Organizations
(NGOs) should be done in order to arouse the
awareness of residents regarding the
environmental effects of quarrying, as well as
other activities being conducted which are
already abuses against nature.
35. 2. There should be formulation and
strict implementation of laws seeking
from quarrying contractors
mandatory payoffs to finance
environmental projects to rectify the
damaged environment due to
quarrying.
36. 3. For the government, specifically
the local government units to levy
taxes, as counterpart to the
contractors in the execution of
Recommendation #2 which should
go directly to affected barangays
where the quarry sites are located.
37. 4. To encourage other
environmentalists to conduct
more in-depth analyses of
other sectors of the
environment being
overlooked and abused.
38. REFERENCES
•Amistad, F., Norma A. Esguerra and Alfredo R. Rabena,
1996. Topographic Survey of Quarry Rivers in Ilocos Sur.
UNP Research Journal, UNP, Vigan City.
•http://www.pids.gov.ph
•http://newsflash.org/1999/03/ht0006999.html
•http://wat ww.leics.gov.uk/pressrelease.htm
•Philippine Mining Act of 1995.
Editor's Notes
For those who were born before the 1970's, were still lucky enough to have witnessed the marvels of nature along the Amburayan River. After that time, development came such as the mines that operated upstream the Amburayan River.
In the light of the above findings, the researcher draw forth the following conclusions:
In the light of the foregoing findings and generalizations, the researchers offer the following recommendations:
