Municipality of Kauswagan

Kauswagan is the second coastal municipality   of the Province of Lanao del Norte located near the Southern boundary. It lies on the mid-central portion of the Northwestern Mindanao coastline with a nautical grid coordinate off 8*deg 12” longitude and 124 deg.. 5” east latitude. It is located twenty (20) kilometers away from Iligan City; bounded on the North by Iligan Bay; on the East by larapan River, which is the common boundary  with the Municipality of Linamon; on the South by the Municipality of Poona Piaagapo and on the West by the Municipalitt of Bacolod with Rupagan River as the common boundary.

Political Subdivision and Land Area 

Kauswagan’s total lland area is 6,037.59299 hectares representing 2.0 % of the province’s toptal land area. It covers thirteen (13) barangays namely; Poblacion, bagumbayan, baraason, CAyontor, Delabayannn, Inudaran, kawit Occidental, kawit Oriental, Libertad, Paiton, Tacub, Tingintingin, and Tugar.. Of all these barangays, Paiton, tacub and Baraason, recorded with the largest land areas cccorresponding to 846.6421, and 641.5434 hectares respectively. All these three (3) barangays represented a ccombined 38,28% of the municiplaity’s total land area. (See Table 1, By Land Area in Hectares and Percent to Total).

Table No. 1

Land Area by Barangay and Percent to Total

Source : MPDO Data Bank

Topography 

Kauswagan is characterized by flat to moderately rolling terrains and scattered small hills. From the coastline, land surface gradually slopes upwards. The Poblacion, together with oither barangays situated along the coastline of Iligan Bay, has elevations ranging from three (3) to seven (7) meters. The Southern portion of the municipality is hilly and densely vegetated. It is almost entirely planted to coconut up to a maximum elevation of 100 meters above sea level.

The flat lands both sides of the National Highway are heavily concentrated with human settlements. Small water bodies flow freely in the municipality. The Larapan River and the Rufagan River serve as the common boundary of Kauswagan and the Municipalities of Linamon and Bacolod on the east and west, respectively.

Slope and Elevation 

Located along the coastline of Iligan Bay with slopes of 0-8 % which are classified from level to very gently sloping, are the Poblacion and the barangays of Kawit Occidental, Kawit Oriental, Bagumbayan, Tacub and Libertad. These areas are utilized for urban development and agricultural production. In the Poblacion, infrastructure and facilities are heavily concentrated. Land covered by this slope is approximately 4,423.1406 hectares or 73.26 % of Kauswagan’s land area. Its elevations ranges roughly to Below and above 50.00 meters high ( See Table no. 2 for details ).

Table No. 2

Land Area by Elevation Ranges

Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte

Source : MPDO Data Bank

Slopes ranging from 8.1 to 15 % aggregate to about 410.5563 hectares or 6.80 % of the total land area. These are utilized for agricultural production. Areas with steeper slopes of 15.1 and above cover 1,203.896 hectares. These are found in portions of barangays Tingintingin, Baraason, Cayontor, Paiton and Delabayan. These barangays are characterized by sloping to strongly rolling to hilly slopes and are best for forest use and pasture. ( see Table No. 4 and Slope Map)

Table No. 3

Slope and Area Coverages

Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte

Source : MPDO Data Bank

Geology 

Generally, the geological pattern of the strata of land found in the area is not well defined.   Up to the present, there has been no survey to determine the presence of minerals in the area.   However, as reflected in the Geologic Map of Mindanao, Kauswagan falls under “QUP” classification of igneous rock formation (refer to Table No. 4).

Table No. 4

Main Landforms and Area Coverage

Source :              Comprehensive Land Use Plan 2000 – 2010

Soil 

Basically, there are four (4) types of soils in the municipality, i.e. Hydrosol, Boac Clay Loam, Adtuyon             Clay Loam with stony phase and Adtuyom Clay Loam.  The Hydrosol type is an underwater surface covering an area of     about 32.6030 hectares representing only 0.54% of the municipality’s total land area.  This type of soil is suitable for salt-       water fish culture.  The second type, Boac Clay Loam is suited for raising agricultural crops like coconut, abaca, banana        and fruit productions, and constitutes 30.32% or 1,830.5982 hectares.  The third type, Adtuyon Clay Loam (stony phase)        is found in about 2,238.0958 hectares or 38.56 %.  This soil is highly suitable for raising crops like coconut, corn,   rootcrops, legumes, vegetables, peanuts & fruits.  The fourth type, Adtuyon Clay Loam covers an area of approximately             1,846.2959 hectares of 30.58 % and is suitable for raising diversified crops like the aforementioned ones ( please refer to Table No. 5).

Table 5

Soil Types and Area Coverage

Source : Comprehensive Lana Use Plan 2000 – 2010

Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte

Land Capability Classes :

The land capability in the municipality is based on soil types and is also influenced by the slope and climatic condition/considerations.Approximately4,704.6901 hectares or 60.30 percent are moderated good land, with some portions requiring careful and planned land management.

Land capability with respect to soil drainage conditions refers to the ability of the soil to retain moisture             over a certain period.   Poorly drained soils are those, which retain excess water over an indefinite period of time.  Those that are capable of retaining excess water and at the same time could be adequately drained when desired are said to have good drainage, while those that dry up easily and cannot hold excess water for even a short period are excessively drained.  Soils in the area can be broadly grouped into those with high water holding capacity, 19.94% and with low water holding capacity, 80.06%.

Moderately, good land, flat to gently sloping or undulating, subject to moderate erosion and which can be             cultivated with caution totals 4,833.6969 hectares or 80.06%.  With careful and planned erosion control measures, these           areas are suited for intensive agricultural use and are belt recommended for high-density urban development.  The remaining 19.94% or an aggregate area of 1,203.8960 hectares are best characterized by limited arability and crop    suitability, a very low propensity for urban development and are best recommended for pasture or forest purposes (See Table No. 6 for details ).

Table 6

Land Capabilities and Area of Coverage

Land Resources :

The Municipality of Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte is has blessed with Agriculture abundant land of an estimated 6,037.5929 hectares that complement the Socio-Economic well-being of the locality.

Land Classification:

The total land area of the municipality is divided into two (2) major areas such as the Alienable & Disposable Areas and the Timberland Areas , respectively. It is distribute to the 13 barangays; 7 in the coastal area and 6 in the interior area. ( please see Table No. 7 : Legal Status of Land Resources and Area Coverage).

Table No. 7

Legal Status of Land Resources and Are Coverage

Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte

Source : Comprehensive Land Use Plan 2000 – 2010

Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte

Existing General Land Use

Table No. 8

Existing General Land Use Distribution

Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte

Source : Comprehensive Land Use Plan 2000 – 2010

Urban Land Use Pattern

There are only two (2) barangays identified as Urban Area in the municipality. They are Barangays Bagumbayan and Poblacion, respectively. It comprise an estimated 403.8665 hectares and 41.8025 accounting to more or less 445.6690 hectares. Table No. 9 shows the Urban Land Use Distribution.

Table No. 9

Urban Land Use Distribution

Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte

Source : Comprehensive Land Use Plan 2000 – 2010

Mineral Resources

Nonmetallic minerals like aggregates, soil, clay, sand and gravel abound in the municipality.  Kauswagan is rich in sources of construction materials especially earthfilling materials.  The material deposit consists of mixed sand, gravel and boulders.  The sources are located usually at mountainsides and along existing rivers, such as Larapan River, Mialunod River, Kawit River and Rupagan River.

Coastal Resources

The town’s rich marine resources offer a favorable environment. Because of its strategic location along the Iligan Bay, Kauswagan is one of the fish and other aqua-marine products suppliers of the Province of Lanao del Norte and Iligan City. The coastal area of the municipality maintains a brackish water invironment and the existence of of 6.0 hectares of Municipal Fish Sanctuary strategically located beside the Municipal Wharf covering the portions of the land area of Barangays Poblacion and Tugar that is favorable to breeding and growth of many pelagic and dimersal species. Recently, another two (2) hectares of newly established Marine Fish Sanctuary at Barangays Libertad and Bagumbayan. Its water is very rich in nutrient and its primary productivity is definitely sufficient to support high fishery production.

Seashells and corals are found abundantly along the area. These could be the potential raw materials for shell craft industry. Other living components found in the area are Crustaceans (shrimps, crabs, etc.); mollusks (mussels, oysters, etc.); and other marine invertibrates like starfishes, sea cucumbers, jellyfishes, worms, etc.; marine plants like mangrove trees, seagrasses and seaweeds.

Based on the assessment of Kauswagan’s Coastal Environment conducted by DENR-ERDS Divers in 1995, the following existing resources were being indicated and recorded, to wit :

Coral Reef

A total of nineteen (19) genera of hard and soft corals were identified in coral reefs of Kauswagan. The assessment recorded an average live coral cover of only 24.68% (poor), 25% of which were fair on the reef slopes at depth of 30 feet. While at a shallower portion of the reef, it showed an average live coral cover of only 13.86% (poor). Most of the sampled stations recorded a high percentage of dead coral cover. This manifest the effects of both natural and man-made induced stress, such as destruction caused by Acanthaster Planci (crown of thorns starfish), blast fishing and other destructive fishing methods. Generally, the condition of the reefs in the municipality of Kauswagan showed to be in poor condition except Barangay Kawit which showed a fair condition on the 15 feet line. On the 30 feet transect line level, reefs in the municipality showed also poor to fair condition except for Barangay Tugar which showed good live coral cover. Approximately, there is about 8.33% of the area sampled having a good cover, 50% fair and another 41.67% poor coral cover on the reef slope (30 feet) while 33.33% having fair cover and 66.67% poor coral cover along the whole stretch of the municipality. The great destruction of coral reef in Barangay Libertad could be attributed to destructive effect of siltation coming from the river bank. The rest of the reef showed the effect of dynamite fishing, cyanide fishing and the tremendous effect of the crown-of-thorns over population on the coral reef.

Sea Grass Communities

There are seven (7) species of Seagrasses identified in the coastal waters of Kauswagan, namely : Cymodocea          Serrulata, Cymodocea Rotunda, Enhalus Acroides, Halophila Minor, Halophila Ovalis, Halodule Pinifolia and Thalasia Hem            Prochi. Among the seven species, the most ecologically dominant was Cymodocea Serrulata with an ED value of 0.169825          followed by Cymodocea Rotunda with an ED value of 0.041173.

Mangrove Forest

There are about twenty one (21) hectares of mangrove present in the coastal beaches and waters of Kauswagan. Of this 21 hectares, 50% had been destroyed due to illegal cutting and the development of fishponds. With the depletion of mangroves because of some industrial and domestic activities, The Local Government Unit of Kauswagan with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR-12) through its Coastal Environment Protection Program (CEPP)  initiated the rehabilitation and development of some destructed mangrove areas for mangrove culture. In so doing, the production of such species grown into a tremendous volume hence through rehabilitation and development of mangrove resources, fishes of different varieties could take shade and propagate under the marine sanctuary of magroves where Zooplanktons are present and needed for fry survival of different varieties. Four (4) species of Mangrove are found in the area namely: Sonneratia Alba (PAGATPAT), Rhizopora Apiculata (BAKAUAN LALAKI), Avecenia Alba (PIAPI) and Avecenia Officinales (API-API). The assessment indicates the dominant of PAGATPAT (Sonneratia Alba) in Kauswagan. However, its projected regeneration per hectare is very low. In the year 2007 – 2009 the Municipal Agriculture Office in the leadership of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources ( DENR – 10) sustainably conducted a massive Mangrove Reforestation along the Coastal Barangays with the active participation of the concerned Barangay Officials and Fisherfolks Organizations and successfully replanted about more or less six (6) hectares of the deforested areas.

Coral Life Forms and Associated Species

The seagrasses beds surved showed the effects of industrialization. Despliation of the destructie effects are       includes waste dumping and siltation affecting the fragile ecosystem. Uncontrolled cutting of mangrove trees were so      rampant and instead of mudflat artificial structures and houses abound in the area. These probable causes of destruction        and threats were noted in order to provide basis of conservation and management policy formulation for the coastal resources.

Climate

Freshwater Resources

Freshwater supply of the municipality are acquired from both surface and ground water sources such springs naturally provided by 6 major and 3 minor water bodies traversing the territorial jurisdiction of the locality. Likewise, underground water are visible in the 13 barangays of the municipality usually utilized as deepwell and artesian well.

Surface Run-off

Most volume of surface waters are found at the 6 interior barangays and selective coastal barangays which are the primary sources of waters for the existing water springs along the rivers and creeks.

Groundwater Resources

The residents of the coastal barangays are mostly dependent to ground water resources which are utilized as sources for domestic water requirements brought about by stored water from the watershed areas.

Natural Hazards / Constraints 

In February 1999, the municipality was experiencing flashfloods brought about by heavy rains and water bodies collision in the major rivers washing out agricultural and residential properties. Likewise in the year 2009 a storm surge hit the coastal barangays of the locality with heavy waves.

Flooding

Only a single occurrence of Severe Flooding since Kauswagan became a regular municipality that  was in 1999 affecting the major portions of Kawit Occidental and Libertad. Barangays Kawit Oriental, Tugar, Tacub and Bagumbayan also experienced but in minor portions. Everytime there is heavy rains a little portion of Bagumbayan occasionally suffer Slight Seasonal Flooding specially those areas near the Dalicanan Creek traversing the Bagumbayan National Highway. Please see Table No. 12 for details.

Table No. 12

Flooded and Flood-Free Areas

Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte

Erosion and Siltation

The barangays with high susceptibility of soils to be eroded are usually those that are located along the coastlines.  Occasional flash floods brought about by heavy rains are in the barangays with its forest cover, which almost denuded.  Barangays prone to erosion are in the portions of Delabayan and Cayontor with around 180 hectares or almost 15 percent of the forest areas of the municipality.

These rough estimates of the erosion potential areas were determined by considering the slope characteristics of the area.   Generally, the flat lands are not readily eroded except those along the banks of the river.  As the slope steepers, the erosion potential increases.  Thus, slopes 15 percent and over with approximate area of 1,203.8960 hectares could be subjected to very severe erosion.

Area which are considered environmentally critical is approximately 143.80 hectares or around 2.4 percent scattered in the municipality.   These are usually found in barangays whereby logging practices are still prevailing.

Infiltration and Soil Drainage

The land capability in the municipality is based on soil types and is also influenced by the slope and climatic condition/considerations.  Approximately 4,704.6901 hectares or 60.30 percent are moderated good land, with some portions requiring careful and planned land management.

Land capability with respect to soil drainage conditions refers to the ability of the soil to retain moisture over a certain period.   Poorly drained soils are those, which retain excess water over an indefinite period of time.  Those that are capable of retaining excess water and at the same time could be adequately drained when desired are said to have good drainage, while those that dry up easily and cannot hold excess water for even a short period are excessively drained.  Soils in the area can be broadly grouped into those with high water holding capacity, 19.94% and with low water holding capacity, 80.06%.

Moderately, good land, flat to gently sloping or undulating, subject to moderate erosion and which can be cultivated with caution totals 4,833.6969 hectares or 80.06%.  With careful and planned erosion control measures, these areas are suited for intensive agricultural use and are belt recommended for high-density urban development.  The remaining 19.94% or an aggregate area of 1,203.8960 hectares are best characterized by limited arability and crop suitability, a very low propensity for urban development and are best recommended for pasture or forest purposes.