Saving Panigan-Tamugan Watershed for the Future
DAVAO CITY – The Panigan-Tamugan watershed, while not really well-known, has recently been in the limelight due to the attention given to its surface waters. As a sub-watershed area belonging to the main Davao River Basin, the watershed area is located in the Baguio District and adjacent to the Talomo-Lipadas Watershed, which is currently the source of Davao’s drinking water. In the late 1990s, faced with the problem of dwindling ground water in the aquifers of Talomo-Lipadas, the Davao City Water District (DCWD) sought other viable sources of drinking water in the region to allow the aquifers to recharge.
The Biodiversity of Davao’s Watersheds
DAVAO CITY – In the olden days, Bagobos living in Davao’s watersheds look to the limokun, the white-eared brown Philippine dove, for omens. In indigenous folklore, the limokun is believed to be a spirit messenger, a harbinger of doom or fortune. For Filipino ornithologists, however, the limokun occupies a more mundane status, albeit a very important one, since the dove is a Philippine endemic, which means that it can be found only here in Philippine watersheds. However, like most endemic species, the limokun’s survival is at stake since its habitat, which is found in lowland dipterocarp forests along the watershed, is fast vanishing due to various threats. In 2012, watershed advocacy group Interface Development Interventions, Inc. (IDIS) commissioned wildlife biologists from the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) to conduct a biodiversity assessment on two of Davao’s important watersheds, the Talomo-Lipadas (TL) and Panigan-Tamugan (PT) watersheds, which are the current and future sources of the city’s drinking water. “The watersheds, essentially, are a center for endemism.”, said PEF Conservation Director Jayson Ibanez who said that his team was able to document 171 vertebrate species, mostly endemic, which are living in the dipterocarp forests found in the lowland areas. 28 of these species are categorized as threatened and near threatened, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
IDIS to Apo Agua: Obey EIS rules
The watershed advocacy group Interface Development Interventions (IDIS) reminded officials of the Apo Agua Infrastructura Inc. (AAII) to follow the protocols provided by the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) law in conducting public consultations. In a statement IDIS said it has received information from their partner communities in Gumalang and Tawantawan barangays that Apo Agua went ahead with its public consultation regarding its Tamugan Bulk Surface Water Treatment project last November without informing the Watershed Management Council (WMC) secretariat or its representatives to join the consultation. In a report submitted by the Watershed Multipartite Monitoring Team (WMMT) to the WMC, it recommended that the Apo Agua “conduct consultations in all barangays covered by the project including the IP communities with proper narrative and photo documentation to ensure proper documentary evidence and with the presence of the WMMT.”
Coal still “clear, present threat” to Davao water
DAVAO CITY – An official of the Aboitiz Power dismissed the fears of environmentalist on the harmful effects of the newly inaugurated coal fired power plant here saying they will not do anything bad for the city. The 300 megawatts coal fired power plant was inaugurated yesterday in Barangay Binugao, Toril district. The event was graced by President Benigno Aquino III and other national and local officials. The power plant currently supplies power to more than 20 electric cooperatives and distribution utilities in Mindanao.
Reforestation revives ‘baboy ihalas’ population in Davao watershed
MEMBERS of the Bantay Bukid, a Watershed Management Council (WMC)-deputized forest guard volunteer group, have reported frequent sightings of the native wild pigs along the slopes of Mt. Tipolog, in Barangay Tawantawan, in the Panigan-Tamugan Watershed. “In previous years, we have rarely seen the baboy ihalas in these parts. Now, we encounter them frequently, especially when we conduct our regular inspection trek of Mt. Tipolog,” said Stephen Matondo, Bagobo tribal elder and Bantay Bukid team leader for the Sumpitan area. The Philippine warty pig, Sus philippinensis, is categorized by the International Union of Conservation for Nature (IUCN) as a Vulnerable species due to habitat loss, over-hunting and genetic hybridization.
Apo Agua, DCWD asked to present plans to water council
DAVAO CITY — A non-government organization has raised concerns over the planned bulk water supply project that will tap the Tamugan River, one of Davao City’s protected watershed areas. Interface Development Interventions (IDIS), an NGO working to protect Davao’s watershed areas, has asked the project proponents, the Davao City Water District (DCWD) and Apo Aqua Infrastructra, Inc. (AAII),to present their agreement and plan before the Water Management Council (WMC). “We recognize the need to produce more potable water but there are legitimate concerns on the potential negative impact of the project to local biodiversity and the communities living near the rivers,” said Chinkie Pelino, IDIS advocacy coordinator and a member of the WMC.