Laguna de Bay water quality management using multi-criteria decision analysis - analytical hierarchy process

• Main Authors: Carrido, Lemuel Calvin C., Tugcay, Theodore Lorenzito G.
• Format: text
• Published: Animo Repository 2013
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_bachelors/10970
• Institution: De La Salle University

Watershed planning and management consists of coordinated activities aimed at controlling, enhancing or restoring watershed functions. The watershed approach for protecting aquatic ecosystems and human health is more effective and efficient at addressing water quality problems. Unsustainable management of a watershed hampers the development of mankind and contributes to the unequal distribution of economic welfare. Considering the anticipated economic development and increase in standards of living these issues will become even more urgent in the future. Thus this study is very important since this is about producing and proposing a water quality management strategy using a newly introduced technique in the country, a tool that is called Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) through its subsidiary method, Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). Laguna de Bay is the largest lake in the Philippines and considered as the third largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia. The lake is also one of the primary sources of freshwater fishes in the country. When the LLDA was established, the water quality of Laguna de Bay is already in poor condition and is deteriorating throughout the past years. Moreover, there are a lot of threats around the lake since many informal settlers live there who are not well-educated on maintaining the quality of water of Laguna de Bay. Informal settlers tend to contribute in the deterioration of the water quality of Laguna de Bay. Surveying and interviews is the main mode of this study to gather data in order to determine different point of views to be able to create the most efficient water quality management strategy that will help the present management to restore the Laguna de Bay's health.