Wednesday, July 02, 2008 Ledesma: Water and electricity By Jun Ledesma Sunbursts
THERE is no debate that water is more vital to life than electricity. As a country mouse I can say that off-the-cuff although I will not complain if I have both.
Recently the Davao City Water District takes issue against Hedcor for tapping Tamugan river in upper Calinan. Hedcor, a sister company of Davao Light & Power Company is tapping the river to generate hydropower.
Between DCWD and Davao Light I would favor the former because its rate, despite the quality of water that we have, is quite low compared to the electricity that I consume which is extremely high. DCWD too gives a good discount and does not threaten you with immediate disconnection unlike Dalight, which like PLDT disconnects your line without provocation and demands from you apology for their failure to deliver their bills.
DCWD and Dalight have a different set of culture. Of the two the power firm is the most materialistic, meaning profit oriented. The water district is more service-oriented and I give it an "A" for that. The electric company however is an excellent corporate planner and looks beyond the present to be able to deliver power required within the next decade.
Dalight too has excellent community relations' men that are able to parry issues against it. DCWD is miserable when it comes to public relations for reasons that even their own corporate officers and PR man are badly informed to the point of incredulity.
DCWD and Dalight/Hedcor are now at loggerheads. DCWD says that the supply of water in Davao City is now at risk because Hedcor is putting up a hydroelectric plant in Tamugan river. In a more scary tone a spokesman of DCWD says that there will come a time when water will be so scarce because of Hedcor hydro plant.
I do not know about where DCWD is proceeding from. The water in Tamugan river is ambient and the water that will be diverted from it to run the wheels of the hydro plant generators will be reverted back to the river. It is pretty much the same way as Maria Cristina hydroelectric plant only this Tamugan project, I surmise, will be very small compared to it. The volume of water before and after the hydro plant remains constant. So what's the problem?
If at all DCWD encounters problems, it will be with their "spring water" deep wells. It use to be that they do not need pumps to draw out water from the ground that is why we still refer to Dumoy water as "spring water." Gravity or pressure of water from underground water veins from the foothills of Mt. Apo pushes out water from aquifers. These days because of the volume of water pumped out from aquifers that pressure has diminish and therefore DCWD needs to pump this out.
Years back DCWD presented to the Infrastructure Committee of the Regional Development Council its plan to tap Tamugan river. They needed P100-million for this project. The plan is good because it will provide the city with alternative source of water and the water district will eventually save on electricity because gravity will do the work instead. For reasons I cannot comprehend to date, the labor union at DCWD scoff at the idea because they claim that the water district need not borrow and that the priority should be their salary to be addressed first. DCWD failed to explain the importance of the loan and the project. In fact, to assuage the emotions of the demonstrating union, their PR man even denied that they are working for a loan of P100-million. That denial is a blatant lie.
But what is wrong with the loan if the project is viable? It is a corporate decision that has to be made and push through if the management sees the project viability? Take note that corporate giants like Globe, Smart and San Miguel to name a few, borrow to capitalize investments on new projects? DCWD failed to handle their problem and because of that it is unable to pursue its plan to tap Tamogan.
Well Hedcor wait for DCWD? Does DCWD have a permanent and exclusive franchise to exploit Tamogan?
Will one be a threat to the other? I don't think so. On the contrary, Davao Light and Hedcor should now expand its responsibility and obligation to the community. They will have to invest more in reforestation to regain forest cover within the area so that rainwater will not drain quickly into the rivers and their tributaries.
DCWD should look at this as an advantage because nothing is lost to them if they of Hedcor taps the river. Furthermore reforesting areas around and above Tamugan it will mean more water flowing to the aquifers in Dumoy and elsewhere. And probably Davao Light will give us cheaper electricity like DCWD with their water.
