Integrated River Management Models: Implications for Collaborative Governance and Management of the Angat River Basin, Philippines

As the main municipal water source for Metro Manila’s 12 million residents, supplier of irrigation water to 26,791 hectares of farmland in Pampanga and Bulacan provinces, flood control for downstream municipalities and provider of 10% of the nation’s hydroelectricity, the Angat River Basin is of prime socioeconomic importance to Luzon, the central island and economic centre of the Philippines. According to the National Irrigation Administration (NIA), the Manila Waterworks and Sewerage Board (MWSS) and the National Power Corporation (NPC), future water requirements for domestic, commercial and industrial purposes on Luzon Island show remarkable increases. In addition to the challenges of climate change, longer droughts and intense weather events, the already stressed Angat River is projected to face increased water demand due to rural to urban migration into Metro Manila, projected doubling of population in Bulacan Province in the next decade, increased industrialization and increased demand for hydroelectricity. Given the complexity, breadth of competing uses and interrelated nature of natural systems such as river basins, collaborative governance has been an effective strategy to grapple with the challenges of fragmented and siloed agencies dealing with water management. In order to provide insight on a potential response to these challenges of governance in the Angat River system, this study seeks to explore existing, international case studies of collaborative governance models, their implications and potential recommendations for Angat’s management.Applied Science, Faculty ofCommunity and Regional Planning (SCARP), School ofUnreviewedGraduat