When Sacred Water Becomes an Economic Good: Tensions and Governance Challenges in Mount Banahaw, Philippines

Abstract

Mount Banahaw, an active volcano and a watershed tn the municipality of Dolores, Quezon province, Philippines, is also a considered a sacred place. This study discussed the community outcomes arising from the conceptual dichotomy of perceptions of multi-use of water by formal organizations such as water districts for domestic use and by informal organizations such as the religious groups for the sacred or religious use of water from the sacred mountain; and the negotiations among these different actors and agents for water access. Results distilled lessons around the interlocking themes of water use and institutions in the access and allocation of water resources as water transits from non-consumptive use to use value. Polycentric water governance is necessary in the context of Mount Banahaw’s cultural, social and economic realities.

Critically assembling water quality ethics beyond thresholds, hierarchies and best practices

“…Technology like reverse osmosis desalination can be used to improve the quality of water to potable levels, but externalities stemming from its energy-intensive nature and the saline brine produced in the desalination process endangers surrounding ecosystems and future sustainability, with implications for environmental justice (Williams, 2018). Alternatively, protecting a vulnerable ecosystem from pollution so that it can be used for drinking water can entail restricting access, making it unavailable for traditional indigenous or religious use (Dayo et al, 2018), or meeting the domestic water needs of an urban area can make water less available for the agricultural and domestic use in rural areas where the water is sourced from (Hommes et al, 2020; Torio et al, 2019).…”