DAVAO CITY—The Dumoy aquifer which for years has provided Davao City residents with world-renowned potable drinking water is now being rested and recharged with the Davao City Bulk Water Supply Project (DCBWSP) in operation.
The DCBWSP, a collaboration between Apo Agua Infrastructura, a water subsidiary of Aboitiz InfraCapital (AIC), and the Davao City Water District utilize part of the Tamugan River, a Class A body of water situated in Davao City’s Calinan District.
From the weirs the water from the river is carried then treated at a Water Treatment Plant which can handle 300 million liters of water per day and then delivered to eight Off-Take Points (OTP) before Davao City Water District distributes the treated water to its consumers.
The project commenced its operations on December 1, 2023, and was formally inaugurated on February 7, 2024, with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. gracing the event.
“Now the facility has been delivering 300 million liters of water per day to over one million households in Davao City. The Davao City Bulk Water Supply Project is also a concrete step for us to lessen our reliance on limited groundwater by tapping the Tamugan River as a sustainable water source,” President Marcos said in his speech during his visit at the plant’s inauguration.
The Dumoy aquifer has long been Davao City Water District’s primary source of potable drinking water supplying about 90% of the city’s water requirements and it is said that water from the Dumoy aquifer is considered as among the world’s best potable water.
However studies have pointed out the unsustainable reliance on the aquifer as the population of Davao City is growing, data from the study revealed a pressing need to rest and recharge the aquifer.
In a 2009 study commissioned by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Regional Office XI and the World Bank on the residual volume of groundwater of the Talomo-Lipadas watershed which recharges the Dumoy Aquifer it is forecasted that due to increasing population the demand for water would outstrip supply starting 2011.
This has been felt in recent years by people living in the city’s second district which is a considerable distance from the aquifer where they experience problematic water supply.
And this is where the DCBWSP provides the means to rest the aquifer, while providing enough water for the growing consumers in Davao City.
“The impact of the Davao City Bulk Water Supply Project is number one; it gives sustainable water for Dabawenyos,” says Mitchel Cloyd Masauding, Reputation Enhancement Manager of Apo Agua Infrastructura.
Masauding says the project is divided into two parts. Part one is when water is taken from the water source Panigan-Tamugan River until to the Water Treatment Part and Part two is when it is treated at the Water Treatment Plant located in Barangay Gumalang, Calinan District.
The state-of-the art Water Treatment Plant employs a Water Nexus Project, the first in Southeast Asia where water used to generate power is treated and then delivered to DCWD supply systems.
Operating a run-of-river system, a portion of the water volume from the Tamugan River is used for the water-power nexus. The water undergoes de-sanding then intensive filtration at the flocculation and settling tank then treated for it to be clean and potable.
And before the water is delivered to DCWD, a laboratory inside the WTP tests the quality and potability of the water.
“The water passes the Philippine National Standards for Drinking Water,” laboratory head Marilou Dacutan describes the water coming from the bulk water plant.
She says the Department of Health-accredited laboratory ensures that the water delivered to the DCWD is of that quality.
“Davao City is lucky to have the Tamugan River as its source of the bulk water project, it is a clean river, but the Water Treatment Plant ensures that the water we deliver passes that standard,” Dacutan said.
Many Dabawenyos have felt the impact that the DCBWSP has brought to their everyday lives, particularly those living in the city’s second district.
Lysa Ocaba, an eatery helper who lives in Cabantian, situated in Davao City’s second district, used to struggle with the low water pressure and not so clear water; woes which are associated with those living far from the Dumoy aquifer.
“Sa una problema jud namo ang tubig karon tin-aw na siya, limpyo na siya pwede na siya magamit sa sabaw na gina prepare namo para sa among customers,” Ocaba said.
(In the past water was our number one concern. Now it is clear and clean we can use it in preparing soups for our customers)
For Larry Garcia of Barrio Obrero, he had to struggle with low water pressure in the past.
“Dati there are times of the day na mahina ang tubig, kailangan mong mag ipon ng tubig para magamit. But ngayon reliable na ang water pressure, pwede ko magamit ang shower,” he said.
(In the past there are times of the day where there is low water pressure, you need to store water but now we have reliable water pressure, I can now use my shower) (PIA/RG Alama)
