- left Bolo Creek - elevation 1,375 m (4,511 ft) - elevation 196 m (643 ft) | ||
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- right Sagudin River, Tuel River | ||
Balili River is a river in the province of Benguet in the Philippines. With a length of 23.81 kilometers, it traverses the city of Baguio, and the municipalities of La Trinidad and Sablan before entering the province of La Union, where it is named the Naguilian River.
Contents
- Map of Balili River Philippines
- Save the balili river system 2011
- Course
- Pollution
- Rehabilitation efforts
- References
Map of Balili River, Philippines
Save the balili river system 2011
Course
From Baguio City, the Balili River flows northward, entering the municipality of La Trinidad. It traverses the barangays of Lubas, Balili (from which the river is named), Cruz, Poblacion, and Bineng. At upstream Bineng are several mini-hydroelectric power plants operated by Hydroelectric Development Corporation (HEDCOR). Downstream Bineng at the La Trinidad-Sablan-Tublay tri-point, the river is joined by the Tuel River, and continues to flow westward until it reaches the municipality of Sablan. It crosses another HEDCOR-operated mini-hydroelectric power plant, the Ampohaw Hydro, along barangay Banengbeng. As it exits Sablan and enters Bagulin in La Union province, it is named the Naguilian River.
Pollution
The river suffers from excessive pollution, usually blamed upon the densely populated city of Baguio, where its headwaters are formed. A study by the City Environment and Parks Management Office (CEPMO) of Baguio City shows that half of the city's population live within the Balili watershed area, contributing the most waste. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) downgraded its water classification from Class A in 1975, which made its waters fit for drinking after treatment to Class C in 2014, which makes it fit only for agricultural and industrial purposes. The river was included in the DENR's 2003 Pollution Report as one of the 15 "biologically dead" rivers among the 94 principal river basins in the country.
Rehabilitation efforts
Several government agencies, academe and private organizations have expressed concern in rehabilitating the river, forming the Balili River System Revitalization Coalition (BRSRC). The Baguio Sewerage Treatment Plant was constructed in 1986 along Sanitary Camp to filter the river before it enters La Trinidad. In 2013, the river was designated by the DENR as a "Water Quality Management Area" (WQMA) to protect and improve the water quality, pursuant to the Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004.