Davao City Water District (DCWD) has affirmed the water quality of Panigan-Tamugan River as “always class A.”
Lawyer Bernard Delima, DCWD spokesperson, made the affirmation after green advocate Interface Development Interventions for Sustainability (Idis) disclosed that the water quality of Panigan-Tamugan watershed dropped from class AA to class A based on the monitoring of Bantayo Aweg.
“To our understanding it will always been class A. Assuming it is A para na sa water public supply,” Delima said.
Based on the list of classified water bodies in Region 11 of Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Environmental Management Bureau 11 (DENR-EMB 11), Tamugan River is class A.
According to Delima, there are two types of DENR classifications of public water supply: public water supply class 1 and public water supply class 2.
The public water supply class 1 is intended primarily for waters having watersheds which are uninhabited and/ or otherwise protected areas and which require only approved disinfections to meet the latest Philippine National Standards for Drinking Water (PNSDW) while public water supply class 2 is intended as sources of water supply requiring conventional treatment (coagulation, sedimentation, filtration 85 disinfection) to meet the latest PNSDW standard.
“The double A is the public water supply 1 and A is the public water supply 2, meaning the general definition is we can use the water for drinking purposes. Pag ang nahimong class A ang Tamugan means is magamit siya for drinking purposes with the usual or conventional treatment is good for distribution,” he said.
He said since Tamugan River is class A it means the river is safe for drinking once treated.
“Maski double A na ang river you still need to treat it, there is the usual requirements you must institute like disinfection etc,” he said.
The DENR-EMB 11 stated that alteration in the water quality could be attributed to pollution from point sources such as wastewater discharges from industries, commercial establishments, mining activities, livestock and poultry production, hospitals, market places, slaughterhouses, public buildings, institutions and other similar establishments including households. It is also states that these establishments have identifiable and specific discharge points to a particular water body.
Delima said DCWD has reforestation program to preserve the Panigan-Tamugan River.
