Less than 30 percent of Davao City residents are aware of the existence of a nine-year old city ordinance requiring establishments and institutions to provide themselves with rainwater harvesting systems (RWHS), resulting in very low compliance since the local law was passed by the Sangguniang Panlungsod as early as 2009.
This was bared during a research forum on RWHS jointly staged Friday by the University Community Engagement Advocacy Council (UCEAC) of the Ateneo de Davao University and the Interface Development Interventions, Inc. (IDIS).
In that forum attended by private stakeholders and representatives of city and national government agencies and the academe, mostly environment advocates, IDIS and the Ateneo’s Social Research Training and Development Office (SRTDO) presented findings of separate studies on the implementation of the RWHS ordinance, both of which found lackluster implementation of the ordinance by mandated city offices due to certain reasons.
IDIS conducted the 2018 validation and assessment of the rainwater harvesting ordinance’s implementation, while Ateneo’s SRTDO made a series of seven city-wide social surveys (CWSS) between 2016 and 2018.
IDIS environmental research specialist Lemuel Lloyd Manalo presented the results of the 2018 validation and assessment, while Dr. Christine Diaz discussed the findings of the SRTDO’s series of citywide social surveys. Tender Ferolin of Ecoteneo, an RWHS practitioner; Rhoderick Hernandez of the San Pablo Parish Social Action Ministry; Sheena Marie Campos of the DENR-Environment Management Bureau; Leonard Paliban of the Office of the City Building Office; and Ruth Jabines of the Davao City Water District gave their reactions.
In Dr. Diaz’s presentation it was revealed that the percentage of people who said they were aware of the ordinance or that they have various types of rainwater harvesting systems see-sawed between less than 20 percent and a little over 40 percent.
She said most of those interviewed in the city’s three congressional districts argued they saw no need for the ordinance, they had no space to put the RWHS in their homes or establishments, or that it (ordinance) was too bothersome. The fourth reason cited for the low compliance was people were not aware of such ordinance.
Diaz recommended that more effort should be placed in popularizing the ordinance, strengthen its enforcement and raise the awareness of the public of the existence of the local law.
The legislative measure, known as Ordinance 0298-09, otherwise called “An Ordinance for the Proper Harvesting, Storage and Utilization of Rainwater in Davao City” was passed in 2009 through the sponsorship of the late Councilor Leonardo Avila III. It requires establishments and buildings to install catchment facilities to harvest rainwater as an alternative non-potable water supply. It also aims to establish the ordinance as a flood mitigation strategy.
Manalo said that a total of more than 400 new buildings in the city were required to follow the ordinance, according to the Office of the City Building Official in a dialogue.
However, when IDIS checked on just 100 of them, the non-government organization found the ordinance’s enforcement wanting. The survey found that the ordinance has not been fully complied with, implemented and monitored since it was approved in 2009 and its IRR (Implementing Rules and Regulations) approved in 2014.
Saying rainwater harvesting is a crucial component of the entire watershed management and water conservation for the city, IDIS made the following recommendations as a result of the study:
- Clarify role delineation of local government agencies (City Building Official for permits and Watershed Management Council for monitoring);
- Implement promised incentives and improve on tax rebates;
- Fast track development of technical manual nd make it publicly accessible;
- Adopt and improve local government units’ monitoring systems, inventory and databank management;
- Investigate alleged anomalies and issues documented; and
- Intensify communication education and public awareness (CEPA) focusing not on mere compliance with the ordinance but on the logn-term goal of water conservation and flood mitigation for the city.
Arnold Vanderbroeke, an environment activist, reminded the forum participants that aside from the city ordinance in discussion there is an existing national law (republic act) and a department administrative order (DAO) of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) mandating the establishment by the barangays of rainwater harvesting systems that have been approved years ago but have not been enforced properly by the authorities.
