Cagayan River The Cagayan River, also known as the Rio Grande de Cagayan The longest and largest

river in the Philippine Archipelago with a total length of 505 kilometers flanked by the countrys biggest and longest mountain ranges. Cagayan River sources its water from smaller rivers and streams in the mountain ranges of Sierra Madre, Caraballo, Cordillera, and Balete Pass. It is located in the Cagayan Valley region in northeastern part of Luzon island It bisects the Cagayan Valley from north to south. The river traverses four provinces: Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Isabela and Cagayan. This great waterway runs down a valley so deep that flood warnings are triggered every time a typhoon or heavy rains impend. The river passes through the countrys few remaining rainforests.

Topography The river's headwaters are at the Caraballo Mountains of the Central Luzon at an elevation of approximately 1,524 meters. The river flows north for some 505 kilometers to its mouth at the Babuyan Channel near the town of Aparri, Cagayan. Its principal tributaries are the Chico, Siffu, Mallig, Magat and Ilagan Rivers.

Magat River is the largest tributary with an estimated annual discharge of 9,808 million cubic meters. It lies in the southwestern portion of the basin, stretching approximately 150 kilometers from Nueva Vizcaya down to its confluence with Cagayan River about 55 kilometers from the river mouth. Both Magat and Chico Rivers have extensive drainage areas which comprise about 1/3 of the whole basin. The Ilagan River originates from the western slopes of the Sierra Madre and drains the eastern central portion of the Cagayan River basin with an estimated yearly discharge of 9,455 million cubic meters. It flows westward and joins the Cagayan River at Ilagan, Isabela, 200 kilometers from the mouth. The Siffu-Mallig system lies on the slope of the Central Cordillera ranges flowing almost parallel to the Magat River. Marshes and swamps are found in some parts of its lower reaches. The Chico River (formerly known as Rio Chico de Cagayan -- Little River of Cagayan) is a river system in Kalinga, a landlocked province of the Philippines' Cordillera Administrative Region. It is referred to as a "river of life" for the Kalinga people who live on its banks, and is well known among development workers because of the Chico River Dam Project, an electric power generation project which local residents resisted for three decades before it was

finally shelved in the 1980s - a landmark case study concerning ancestral domain issues in the Philippines. Cagayan River and its tributaries have deposited sediments of Tertiary and Quaternary origin, mostly limestone sands and clays, throughout the relatively flat Cagayan Valley which is surrounded by the Cordillera Mountains in the west, Sierra Madre in the east and the Caraballo Mountains in the south. The river has a drainage area of about 27,300 km. in the provinces of Apayao, Aurora, Cagayan, Ifugao, Isabela, Kalinga, Mountain Province, Nueva Vizcaya, and Quirino. The estimated annual discharge is 53,943 million cubic meters with a groundwater reserve of 47,895 million cubic meters.

Connecting water ways and nearby mountain ranges

Largest tributary: Magat River (Isabela) o Annual discharge: 9,808 million cubic meters

Extensive drainage area: 1/3 of the whole basin Chico River (Kalinga) Extensive drainage agea: 1/3 of the whole basin Ilagan River (Isabela)

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Location: southwestern portion of the basin Stretches 150 kilometers from Nueva Vizcaya to Cagayan River about 55 km from the river mouth

Starts from the slopes of Sierra Madre Drains the eastern central portion of the Cagayan River basin

Annual discharge: 9,455 million cubic meters Water from Ilagan River flows westward and joins the Cagayan River at Ilagan, Isabela (200 km

from the mouth of Bicol River) Siffu-Malig River (Central Cordillera ranges)

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Water flow is parallel to the Magat River Lower reaches of the river are filled with marshes and swamps

Flooding The Cagayan River and its tributaries are subject to extensive flooding during the monsoon season in Southeast Asia from May to October. The average annual rainfall in 1,000 mm in the northern part and 3,000 mm in the southern mountains where the river's headwaters lie. Water from the mountains flow down very slowly because of surface retention over the extensive flood plain, the gorges in the gently-sloping mountains and the meandering course of the river.

The inundation of the Cagayan River and its tributaries have caused great loss of life and property and substantial losses to the local and national economies. The Philippine government has established several flood warning stations along the river. Experts are specifically monitoring the lower reaches from Tuguegarao to Aparri and the alluvial plain from Ilagan to Tumauini, Isabela.

Flora and Fauna

The Cagayan River passes through one of the few remaining primary forests in the Philippines.

It supports the lives of numerous endemic and endangered species, like the ff: Luzon bleeding-heart pigeon (Gallicolumba luzonica) Philippine eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi) and a rare riverine fish, locally called ludong (Cestreaus plicatilis).

The ludong spawns in Cagayan River's upper reaches in Jones, Isabela. In late October until midNovember, the fish travel down the river to release their eggs at the river mouth near Appari. In February, ludong fry by the millions are again caught in fine nets as these travel upstream. Due to the dwindling number of ludong caught yearly, local governments have imposed a ban on catching the fish and its fry, but the ban has failed.

People The river traverses four provinces: Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Isabela and Cagayan. These provinces have an approximate population of two million people, mostly farmers and indigenous tribesmen. The Ibanag people derive their tribe's name from Cagayan River's ancient name, Bannag. The Gaddang tribe lived in the upper riches of the Cagayan River and its tributaries.

Economic Importance The river drains a fertile valley that produces a variety of crops, including rice, corn, bananas, coconut, citrus and tobacco. There are dams in two of the river's tributaries, the Magat and Chico Rivers, and there are also several mining concessions in the mineral-rich Cordillera Mountains near the headwaters of the two tributary rivers. The provincial governments along the river have also developed tourism programs that offer activities on the river, particularly whitewater rafting.

Aware of the growing threat the citys increasing urbanization posed to his beloved river and fishing grounds, Pipi was inspired to propose to the Barangay Council of Nazareth (where he sits as a council man) to set up a fish sanctuary along a certain portion of the Cagayan River, which ran through the barangay.

Thus, on March 11, 2009, the Nazareth Barangay Council passed Resolution No. 147-2009 establishing the area from the river bank of the Cagayan River from Ysalina Bridge to Kagayanon Bridge covering Barangays No. 1, Nazareth and Macasandig on the east river bank and Barangay Carmen on the west river bank as a bird and fish sanctuary.

At present, our barangay ordinance just covers Nazareth but I will be talking to the officials of Barangay No. 1, Carmen and Macasandig soon to request them to pass similar ordinances to consolidate the legal protection our bird and fish sanctuary, Mr. Abrogar said. Reportedly the first of its kind in the Philippines, the river sanctuary aims to preserve and increase the population of local fish species through breeding and research, serve as living museum for the rivers flora and fauna to promote tourism and increased environmental awareness especially among residents of the Cagayan Rivers river bank barangays, and develop the fishery and avian resources of the river for culinary, heritage and scientific purposes. countrys first fresh water fish and bird sanctuary. The main Cagayan River originates in the Caraballo mountain range. Passing through the mountainous areas towards north-northeast, it joins the largest tributary, the Magat, at the left bank and the right tributary, the Ilagan, in succession. Magat dam located at the gorge of the upper Magat, has two functions of irrigation water supply and hydroelectric power generation. The dam is in operation by National Irrigation Administration (NIA). The dam has basically no flood control space in its reservoir, although it can be said that the dam is being substantially contributing to flood peak reduction. According to the recent operation records of the reservoir obtained so far, flood peak reduction will be ranging from 3,000 to 2,000 cu.m/s in average.

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