Five water treatment plants to be established in Davao City in 2023

AFTER 12 years after its approval as a city ordinance, five water treatment plants will soon rise in Davao City in 2023 to answer the problem of wastewater and human waste.

The septage treatment plant was initially planned after Ordinance No. 0363-10 Series of 2010, an Ordinance Establishing a Septage and Sewerage Management Program in Davao City was enacted. The law aims to adopt and implement a comprehensive and integrated septage and sewage management program in the city.

“This will help us manage wastewater disposal services in Davao City,” Jovana Cresta Duhaylungsod, Davao City Water District (DCWD) Spokesperson, said in an interview with the Davao City Disaster Radio on October 7, 2022.

Duhaylungsod said the current septage collection, which is run by private companies in the city is not being done regularly.

“Kung worst case scenario na, asa ka mag-avail ani nga serbisyo, kay [usually] paabton pa nga magpuno, or naay magbara before pa makahuna-huna nga kailangan na diay i-dislodge ang septic tank (If we are talking about worst case scenarios, where can you avail of these kinds of services? Usually, we wait for the septic tank to be full or clogged before we avail of such services),” Duhaylungsod said.

She added that not all residential houses in the city have a septic tank.

“Kung naa man dili tong three chambers na structure and naa pud uban wala’y salog so automatic ra siya nga mo-drain ug mo-sip didto sa yuta, naa pud uban gihimong extension or part sa balay ang septic tank (If they have a septic tank, it is not usually the three-chamber structure. Others, their septic waste goes directly into the ground),” Duhaylungsod said.

Duhaylungsod said these situations affect the wastewater management in the city. She added that this project is in partnership with the City Government of Davao to institutionalize the wastewater service in the city.

“The direction actually is sewerage, mao na siya ang pinaka-ideal nga (this is the most ideal) design for proper water waste disposal but since it would entail time and a lot of budget para ma-realize siya kay magbutang ka’g tubo specific for sewerage mao tong atoa sa iagi sa pag-manage sa wastewater through septage management (to materialize it because we need to lay down pipes specific for sewerage that will be useful in managing wastewater through septage management),” Duhaylungsod said.

Duhaylungsod said several septage treatment plants will be established in the city with different areas of coverage. She said that the first plant will be put up in Indangan, Davao City.

“The direction right now with the Davao City LGU and DCWD is to operate the plant next year. In fact, ongoing na ang atoang mga activities para sa pagmugna sa atoang planta (activities revolving around the putting up of the plant is already ongoing),” said Duhaylongsod.

Duhaylungsod said to accommodate the majority of the Dabawenyos, they will set a collection schedule.

“Naa ta’y schedule of collection na per area (we will set a collection schedule per area), and the frequency of dislodging will be every five years kay mao man pud na atong computation na possible mapuno na ang tanke sa atoang residents (based on our forecast of when the tanks will be full),” Duhaylungsod said.

Duhaylungsod said that they will prioritize their clients, however, she said they will also accommodate requests from other water service providers but with an additional service charge.

The city ordinance states in the declaration of the policies that the project aims to ensure the protection of public health and the environment, reduce, if not eliminate the prevalence of waterborne and excreta-related diseases and pollution in bodies of water, encourage water conservation and recovery, but as now, the septage plant will only dislodge the human wastes.

“Dislodging lang sa siya, and then ibutang og planta and then from the plant, i-treat ang kadtong waste water before siya ibalik sa water bodies para masiguro nato nga whatever it is na atong ma-dispose na wastewater, dili siya maka-damage sa environment (The process is only dislodging, it will be put in the plant and then will be treated before it will be released to the bodies of water so ensure that it is safe and will not damage the environment),”Duhaylungsod said.

Duhaylungsod said that without the proper disposal of wastewater, it will affect the environment.

“Dako kaau ni siya og impact sa atoang water bodies, kay all of the waste kay moadto man gyud na siya sa atoang mga surface water and if dili treated ang wastewater nga ilabay didtoa sa atoang mga suba mo-contribute ni sya sa pagsaka sa coliform level sa atoang water bodies (This has a big impact to the water bodies because the wastewater released is usually in the surface water and if the wastewater is not treated, it will contribute to the coliform level of the water bodies),” Duhaylungsod said.

This claim was also supported by a study conducted by Department of Science and Technology's (DOST) foreign interns from the University of Oulu, Finland, "Assessment of the Water Situation and Safety of Wastewater and Sanitation in Selected Parts of Davao City." Their study showed that almost all of the wastewater in Davao City is released into nature without treatment.

Duhaylungsod also said recent research studies showed that the coliform level in the bodies of water in the city is high.

“Atoang nakita nga pasaka ng pasaka ang coliform level, dili lang pa gyud na siya sa kanal but naa na gyud siya sa coastal area even diha sa Davao River especially sa downstream na portion (We found out that the coliform level in the bodies of water the city is very high, it is not only found in our drainage or gutter but also along the coastal areas and Davao River, especially in the downstream portion),” Duhaylungsod said.

Duhaylungsod said the coliform will affect the health, tourism, and economy of the city.

“Ang pinaka-disadvantage is kaning mga waterborne diseases kay pwede ka ani mamatay, it also impacts our tourism (One of its biggest disadvantages are the waterborne diseases because it can cause deaths and affect our tourism),” Duhaylungsaid said. KSD