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Monday, August 25, 2008
City now gets water from deeper source: DCWD
By Carlo P. Mallo
DAVAO CITY – Indeed, water is not inexhaustible, as the Davao City Water District (DCWD) has been telling the Dabawenyos who take pride in the fresh water provided by the city's aquifers.
The same aquifers are getting deeper, a sign that more water is being sucked up than can be replenished.
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In an interview, Imelda Magsuci, DCWD finance manager, said water has been noticeably deeper compared to its previous depth.
"When we drill, water is already at about 200 to 250 meters deep; before, our drills would only go as deep as 100 to 150 meters and there is already water," Magsuci said.
Of late, the National Water Regulatory Board has included Davao City among the nine critical cities in the country due to water mining.
Water mining, as explained by Magsuci, is the term used to refer to the excessive utilization of ground water.
"The extraction of ground water more than what can be recharged," Magsuci added.
One of the adverse effects of water mining is the drying up of wells, the cracking of the soil, and worse, saltwater intrusion.
At present, DCWD extracts over 212,000 cubic meters of water daily or a total of 78 million cubic meters annually. However, the water utility expects a sharp increase by 2012 with daily extractions reaching 314,000 cubic meters of water daily or an annual average of 115 million cubic meters.
Only 1 percent of the water being distributed by DCWD is currently sourced from surface water, the 99 percent is sourced from ground water.
All establishments tapping into the city's ground water source are contributing to the sources' present state: beverage companies, water suppliers, water bottlers, and DCWD, among them.
The growing population all using water, some in very wasteful way, is also adding to the pressure. (Sun.Star Davao/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Pampanga. (August 25, 2008 issue)
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