HUNDREDS of hectares of forested areas in Benguet and Mountain Province were razed by forest fires while tens of thousands of trees damaged and on the state of extinction due to irresponsible individuals living near various forest reserves.

National Irrigation Authority (NIA) Regional Director Abraham Akilit expressed disappointment over the failure of barangay officials to police their residents who "continuously ruin the agency's efforts to rehabilitate denuded portions of the Cordillera watersheds."

The NIA has spearheaded a watershed rehabilitation program aimed at empowering community residents to plant trees in their surroundings to help revitalize the depleted water supply brought about by the unscrupulous cutting of trees in the mossy forests of the region coupled by the unabated burning of forests during the dry season.

Akilit said the burning of the mossy forests would not help their cause because young and newly planted trees die, rendering their efforts futile.

However, the proliferation of forest fires could be prevented if barangay officials would do their best to protect the young trees and the remaining forest cover to ensure the continuous supply of water for their farmlands and for irrigation purposes in the lowlands.

Akilit appealed to educators to teach the value of the presence of trees to the pupils so they would appreciate the beauty and importance of nature as they grow old and they would become environmental advocates in the future.

He also criticized the sad state of the Bayudan River, which reportedly dried up due to denuded forests. But he said it would not be too late if residents cooperate by planting water-friendly trees to ensure continuous supply of water.

It was reported that the continuous rapid denudation of mossy forests in Cordillera and the unabated cutting of trees pose a serious danger to the sources of potable water for human consumption and irrigation purposes.

Despite the insufficient funds for the project, Akilit asserted they would push through with the watershed rehabilitation plan through the pooling of resources by government and private organizations concerned with the preservation of the greenery of the forests since Cordillera serves as the watershed cradle of Northern Luzon.