The river is not navigable but it provides a significant contribution to the economy of Malaybalay as a source for irrigation. It was previously tapped as a source for water but the city government has since tapped the Kibalabag River as a new source of water. Recent physico-chemical analyses on the river showed contamination mainly from agricultural and residential runoffs.[1][3]
References
^ abBertomen, Winona Kyle; Roa, Elnor; Tubio, Emilie; Vedra, Sonnie; Dela Peña, Geralyn (2015). "Water Quality of Sawaga River, Malaybalay City, Bukidnon, Philippines". International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR). 6: 1090–1095.
^Paringit, Enrico; Puno, George (2017). LiDAR Surveys and Flood Mapping of Sawaga River. University of the Philippines Training Center for Applied Geodesy and Photogrammetry.