Physical/Geographic Profile of Meycauayan

                                      PHYSICAL/GEOGRAPHIC PROFILE

1.     Topographical and Hydrological Features:

The general topography of the land is relatively flat with an almost gently rolling hills.    Comfortably above sea level, this terrain is an interweaving of greenery and concrete road network.  The slope of the land dips towards a west to north westerly direction.  River, natural lake and drainage waterways envelope and criss-cross the area.

2.     Boundaries:

City of Meycauayan is about 19 kms. north of Manila and approximately 22 kms. south of City of Malolos, the provincial capital.  It is bounded on the east by Kalookan City, on the west by Obando, on the north by Marilao, and on the south by Valenzuela City.

It encompasses an aggregate area of 3,210.00 hectares, representing 1.17 percent of the total land area of the province of Bulacan.

3.   Soil Characteristics

The soils existing in the town of Meycauayan consist of the following:

A.             Soils of the Alluvial Landscape

a.1  Tagulod Series (Tgb)

These soils occupy the low lying level flood fill low alluvial terraces.  The surface layer, 10 cm. thick, is brown clay to yellowish brown.

It has low to adequate organic matter content and inherent fertility.  These soils are generally utilized under rice production during wet season; and only small areas with adequate irrigation facilities are grown to diversified crops and other vegetables during dry season.

a.2  San Fernando Series  (SfAf1)

This soil series occurs on nearly level depressions of the broad low alluvial terraces landscape position.  It consists of deep poor to very poorly drained soils and slightly affected by salty tidal water during dry season. 

This unit includes small areas with brown to dark brown, yellowish brown and strong brown profiles.  These soils have low to adequate organic matter content and moderate to very high fertility.  Exchangeable potassium, cation exchange capacity and base saturation are high but medium in available phosphorous.  Soil reaction is neutral.  Permeability is low. 

It is solely planted to rice during wet season and mostly idle during dry season due to lack of irrigation facilities.  Small portion are planted for watermelon after the rice crop. 

B.     Soils of the Piedmont Landscape

b.1  Maysan Series

The Maysan series consist of very gently sloping to gently undulating shallow moderately drained soils that is formed on degraded tuffaceous sandstone footslopes.

The surface layer, 30 cm. thick, is dark gray clay with many strong brown mottles.  It has deficient organic matter content and low inherent fertility.  Available phosphorous is low both for paddy rice and upland crops.

This series is mainly utilized for paddy rice during wet season and generally left idle during dry season.     

b.2  Batis Series (BaB) (BaC) 

The Batis series consist of deep poorly drained fine clayly soils on nearly level to undulating dissected tuffaceous piedmont footslopes.

The surface layer, 17 cm. thick, is pale brown clay loam with common yellowish brown mottles.  The subsoil to a depth of 115 cm. is gray or light gray to gray clay with few to common yellowish brown or light olive gray mottles and few manganese concretions.  The soils have deficient organic matter content and moderate inherent fertility.  The available moisture holding capacity is moderate.  Soil reaction is medium acid to neutral.  Estimated permeability is slow to very slow.

This soil is principally grown to rainfed paddy rice during wet season, but mostly left idle or fallowed during dry season due to lack of moisture or irrigation water.

b.3  Pulong Buhangin (PbC)

This soil series consist of gently sloping to undulating moderately deep somewhat poorly drained soils that occur on dissected piedmont tuffaceous footslopes.

The surface layer is 30 cm. thick, light brownish gray and grayish brown clay loam to clay with dark yellowish brown mottles and very few soft to hard manganese concretions.  The sub soil to a depth of  30-66 cm. is grayish brown clay with few yellowish brown mottles and few iron and manganese concretions.

This soil has deficient organic matter content and high to moderate inherent fertility.  Available phosphorous is adequate for paddy rice but marginal for upland crops.  Exchangeable potassium cation exchange capacity and base saturation are high.  Available water holding capacity is low to moderate.  Soil reaction is medium to strongly acid.

Non-irrigated paddy rice constitutes the principal crop during wet season.  These soils are left fallowed during dry season due to lack of irrigation and rainfall. 

C.            Miscellaneous Land Type

c.1   Loamy Tidal Swamp (Lst)

This miscellaneous land type loamy tidal swamp is derived from fluvio-marine materials of mixed origin.  It occurs on active tidal flats along the shores of Manila Bay and subject to continuous flooding by salt tidal water.  The profile texture is generally sandy loam, loam, silt loam, clay loam, silty clay loam or sandy clay loam.

The soil of this miscellaneous or sandy clay loam has very strongly acidic soil reaction.  Organic matter content is high and inherent natural fertility is moderate.  Most of this land type is utilized for fishpond or salt farm.

 

4.     Status of Land Classification:

			Area
A.	Forest Land :	Production Forest	none
		Protection Forest	none
		Non-Forest (Agri)	none
		Non-Forest (Mining)	none
B.	Alienable & Disposable Lands
		Protection Land	none
		Production Lands
		- Irrigated Rice Fishpond	none
		- Cultivated Annual Crops	none
		- Perennial Tree and Vine Crops	none
		- Pastures	none
		Fisheries Built Up Areas
		- Urban Centers	none
		- Large Institutions	none
		- Industrial Area	none
		- Tourism Areas	none
C.	Mining Areas/Reservations (within forest land
		and alienable & disposable land)	none
D.	Military & Civil Reservations (within forest land
		and alienable & disposable land)	none

5.             Existing City Land Use:

		Area (Hectares)			Percent
a.	Residential	1,253.6785			39.06
b.	Agricultural	371.3000			11.56
c.	Commercial	216.6985			6.75
d.	Industrial	766.2065			23.87
e.	Institutional	20.7695			0.65
f.	Fish Ponds	517.4650			16.12
g.	Open Space	38.0000			1.18
h.	Parks and Recreation	25.8820			0.81
	T o t a l	3,210.0000			100.00