Mt. Tipolog-Tamugan located in Baguio District, Davao City and adjacent to Mt. Apo is one of the three vital watersheds that Davao City Water District is rehabilitating for water sustainability. In doing so, DCWD built a strong symbiotic community partnership with the local community, the Obu-Manuvu tribe, since 2004.
The DCWD and Obu-Manuvu partnership has successfully rehabilitated 88 hectares inside the Mt. Tipolog-Tamugan project area and 25 kilometers of theriverbank. In the process, DCWD has been providing the tribe with medical / dental missions and agro-forest livelihood that enabled them to earn incomes from tiger grass, abaca and grafted fruit trees since 2007 and recently, from rubber trees. Potential gross income from rubber trees alone in a year could reach up to P500,000.00 for the Obu-Manuvus. Soon, they will also start harvesting cacao. In return, the tribe effectively participates and oversees the rehabilitation efforts of DCWD and thwarts environmental threats.
As DCWD cares for the Obu-Manuvu tribe, the latter committed to be the stewards of sustainable adequate supply of fresh, clean and potable water for the Davaoeños.
Foresight planning in securing Mt. Tipolog-Tamugan watershed, DCWD will address the inevitable water crisis in Davao City within the next few years caused by fast-paced urbanization and rapidly-growing population. Presently serving close to 200,000 water connections within the 108 of the City’s 182 barangays, DCWD is sourcing water supply mainly from underground through 55 production wells and one spring source thus making it highly dependent on power supply for its delivery.
DCWD then explored the possibility of developing a new and sustainable water source – surface water, thus the Tamugan Surface Water Development Project (TSWDP) as an additional source.
The project will be undertaken through a joint venture agreement between DCWD and Apo AguaInfrastructura, Inc. (AAII) with two components: (1) Part A: Treated Bulk Water Supply Facilities to be implemented by AAII, and (2) Part B: Primary Distribution Pipe Mains, Storage Facilities, and Pipeline Appurtenances to be administered by DCWD. Project milestones are the Preliminary Period and theConstruction Period, which are both envisioned to be completed within four years, and the Delivery Period, which is a 30-year contract to start upon operation of facilities.
With the large service area coverage of DCWD, 10 water supply systems (WSS) operateindependently from each other, namely: Cabantian, Calinan, Dumoy, Lubogan, Malagos, Panacan, Riverside, Tibungco, Toril, and Tugbok. However, due to order of prioritization in terms of service coverage, transmission line route and impending water quality issues, only Cabantian, Calinan, Dumoy, Panacan and Tugbok WSS will compose the TSWDP. The remaining five will continue to operate utilizing groundwater. Moreover, with TSWDP, DCWD intends to expand its service coverage to additional eight barangays in the northern side of the city which will be then served by three new WSS, namely: Mandug, Indangan and Talandang.
Indeed, the symbiotic partnership of DCWD with the Obu-Manuvus for the latter’s economic benefit and the consequent assurance of sustainable healthy water supply with the best quality in the world in the three Districts of Davao City underline DCWD’s humble thrust of water for life.
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