by Alex Roldan
A few decades ago, before Davao City’s population grew to almost one and a half million, wastewater treatment facilities were not needed. Septage was simply dumped into the gutter. If feces or other unpleasant objects were put into the water, nature took its course, and they were eliminated.
However, with Davao City being the newest development frontier, this is going to change. Davao city’s annual population growth of almost 2.9 percent is the highest in the country, and almost a third of it comes from proximate provinces, people looking for greener pastures (livelihood opportunities), for better quality education, or simply to decide to put up a new home. Majority of these migrants have located themselves near major water sources–riverbanks and shorelines. In fact, more than 50 percent of Davao City’s population lives in such areas.
Just think of that number, and try to deduce how much waste an 800 thousand people throw each day directly to the rivers, creeks, streams and the Davao gulf! This does not include other settlements and industry’s contaminated wastewaters (from factories, hospitals, funerals homes, septic tanks) that end up everywhere eventually after heavy downpours. A proven efficient system to spread stink and diseases!
The proliferation of industry and burgeoning population centers may sound pleasant to opportunity seekers, but below our common radar sight lurks the reality that not all things pleasant are entirely good.
I came upon this realization from the sharing by Engr. Jun Estuveo of the Davao City engineer’s office with his colleagues in the city government last week re the experience of other places which are now facing a problem that could have been avoided through prior planning –managing wastewaters.
Estuveo, who has just arrived from a series of fora made his chilling forecast of what could happen to Davao City in the not so far future if this problem is not appropriately addressed. A sort of inconvenient truth for the city if we do not start acting now–rivers, streams clogged with industrial and domestic wastes, people wading through disease-carrying floodwaters, and the most likely scenario–a dead Davao Gulf!
Aside from a good solid waste disposal system, I entirely agree with the idea that the city should make certain that a good wastewater management system is put into place involving the the construction of water treatment facilities. Davao City is growing rapidly in terms of land development expanding populated areas. Metro Manila’s horizontal development may have hit a dead end and the onbly way to go is up for its exploding population along with its pollution and water supply problems. Likewise Cebu which is stuck with its potable water supply woes and constricted expansion area.
Obviously, Davao City is next in line and obviously nothing can delay its date with destiny as the next investment and migration destination. And along with it the threat from massive amount of pollutants contaminating various waterways all the way to Davao Gulf and, God forbid, eventually down to its underground water, the source of the best potable water in the world next only to that of The Netherlands!
Acting city administrator Jun Escalada said he was not surprised when Davao City topped the “New Wave of Cities” list as the country’s information communication technology investment destination. Our population is still manageable, the expansion areas for population and industries’ settlement is still vast, and most of all we have enough supply (at least for the foreseeable future) of potable water.
However, there is a big BUT in the scenario of things to come that is well nigh inevitable–unless the present occupants of this largest city in the world in terms of land area, act to prevent it from happening. For the sake of the next generation of Dabawenyos there is dire need for the Dabawenyos of today to protect their precious water supply from pollution for their sake and that of those who will follow them in the generations to come.
This is the challenge not only for the new city government, but for the next line of leaders after them. The challenge will also include how to make our city’s rivers, streams both “fishable” and “swimmable” once again. It becomes necessary for us, the government, the industries, and individuals to take responsibility for our actions.
“We don’t see things as they are, we see things as we are.” – Anais Nin
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