Water Scarcity in Palawan in the Near Future?

I read in an article a few months ago that water scarcity will be major issue in Palawan in the coming decade. This is owing to the fact that the island of Palawan has a narrow configuration bound centrally by tall mountain ranges of Mantalingahan and tall mountains like Mount Salakot in Puerto Princesa and Mount Kapoas in Taytay. Land formation in Palawan is partly attributed to volcanic eruption many years ago as evidenced by the magma rocks found in Lake Danao in Taytay north of Palawan.

This narrow configuration means that the rivers will not be that large enough to store and channel large volumes of water. A long mountain range protrudes in the horizon and its steep slopes provide momentum to rushing waters coming from heavy rains. This also reduces available plain land for settlement, agriculture, and groundwater infiltration. Truly this is a good observation because I have seen that many of the rivers in Palawan are shallow and narrow. Even some of these rivers are without water during the dry months.

Non-retention of rivers of large volumes of water will mean water scarcity in populated areas of the province particularly in the City of Puerto Princesa. As more people come in and large establishments are put up, more water will be needed for its many uses. The saving grace in Palawan's plight are the lush growth of forests that serve as "magnet" to groundwater aside from its shielding function during rains that prevent water from eroding the soil and bringing sediments that cause rivers to run dry. 

For this reason and ecologically speaking, the forests of the province must be kept intact by regulating and enhancing its growth. But this appears to be problematic as the brunt of development is gaining ground in the province. More people coming in means more structures to serve the needs of a growing population. This also means more land for agricultural purposes, and with mining as one of the major revenue generating project in the country, land degradation will most likely occur. 

What is in store for Palawan then? Preventive measures can be applied to counter the water problem. These measures include wise water utilization including sound environmental technology that optimizes and makes efficient the use of water especially in households. Large rainwater storage facilities may be constructed to serve as reservoir and added buffer to water demand on those occasions of low water availablity. Dam construction for water retention may be put up as a lesser evil so that not only the water needs of an increasingly developing province will be addressed but also the greater demand for electrical energy. - P. A. R.