STRUGGLE: Quality of Davao’s water at stake Groups call for Tamugan River protection

Supports from different sectors are pouring here in Davao City for the protection of the Tamugan River against commercial and industrial activities which pose a grave threat to the city’s future source of drinking water.

The calls for the protection of Tamugan River followed after Aboitiz’s Hedcor Inc., revealed their plan to use the river as part of their hydropower plant. Hedcor appealed to the Davao City Water District (DCWD) for joint use of the river.

Residents of the Second and Third Districts urged the City Hall, City Council and Environmental management Bureau XI and National Water Resources Board (NWRB) officials to spare the river from industrial usage.

Almost a thousand residents from the two districts signed a manifesto of support to the Tamugan Surface Water Development (TSWD) project of DCWD. The project was commissioned by DCWD as a proactive measure in response to the city’s looming water crisis.

The same manifesto of support was also released by the Southern and Central Mindanao Water Information Council (SOCEMWIC), stating that after careful study and deliberation, they are convinced that DCWD’s TSWD and Hedcor’s hydropower project cannot co-exist in the Tamugan River.

“[SOCEMWIC] is aware that Hedcor could tap other rivers for its hydropower project while DCWD has only Tamugan River that is physiologically viable and economically feasible,” it added.

Late last year, students of the Davao City National High School (DCNHS) also sent an open letter addressed to Mayor Duterte and the city council, appealing for the prioritization of DCWD’s project over that of Hedcor’s.

The students expressed their fears on the environmental hazards that Hedcor’s hydropower plant may cause to the river.

The manifesto, signed by 300 student government leaders and club leaders of DCNHS, enumerated their fears as follows: “Hydropower may alter the river and river side habitat, a dam or a powerhouse can be a significant obstacle to fish migration, and hydropower project can impede the natural flow of sediments.”

In the same manifesto, the students said that “our need and that of the coming generations for drinking water that only the Tamugan river can provide is more important than using the Tamugan river as energy source.”

They added that “the tapping of the Tamugan River for hydropower use also violates the Davao City Watershed Code which has declared Tamugan as a conservation area where any form of commercial activity is banned.”

A recommendation to declare Tamugan River as a single purpose river— that is, solely as the source of water supply for Davao City was expressed by the Dr. Ed Prantilla, the former president of the University of Southeastern Philippines.

“We know that there are other uses of Tamugan River and the pros and cons of these alternative uses have been aired. But we believe as far as the future water supply of Davao City is concerned that the decision that will minimize risk and ensure sustainability is to have Tamugan River designated solely as the source of water supply,” said Prantilla, currently professor of USEP’s School of Applied Economics.

According to him, this recommendation is based on the following: to reduce to the minimum the risk that usually occurs in multi-use resource use, watersheds of drinking water supply require strict protection and devoid of human settlements, requirements not strictly required in other uses, i.e. irrigation and power generation.