Write a letter to Mayor Inday Sara Duterte-Carpio to continue the implementation the Watershed Code to protect the integrity of Davao City’s watersheds and the quality of our drinking water.
WHAT: Continue the ground delineation and demarcation of conservation areas, agricultural non-tillage areas and prime agricultural areas. Enforce establishment of proper buffer zones along environmentally critical areas as defined by the ground delineation.
WHY: Unsustainable and unregulated agricultural and economic activities, such as pesticide intensive monocrop plantations and illegal logging, have penetrated the uplands of Davao City. This puts Davao’s water quality at risk, endangering the only remaining clean source which can meet future demands for drinking water.
The Watershed Code of Davao City, which seeks to protect , conserve and sustainably manage the watersheds, mandates ground delineation and demarcation of conservation areas to protect it from further degradation. The Code also mandates the establishment of proper buffer zones along the demarcated critical areas and communities to protect the remaining precious forest and water resources.
HOW: Write a letter to Mayor Inday Sara Duterte-Carpio urging him to continue implementing the ground delineation of the watershed areas and to establish proper buffer zones around environmentally critical areas.
Under the Watershed Code, the proper buffer zone between plantation and bodies of water should be 40 meters in width. In between households and plantations, the buffer zone should be 30 meters in width. Under the Code’s management framework, buffer zones must be planted with trees and crops common to agroforestry systems.
Communicate to Inday Sara your urgent worry that unless these buffer zones are properly established and maintained, Davao’s watersheds will suffer unrecoverable damage, leading to loss of drinking water for future generations.
Send your letter via snail mail to:
Hon. Sara Duterte-Carpio
City Mayor
Rm. 4, City Hall, Davao City
Or email her at:
davaocitymayor@gmail.com
You can also start an online petition urging the City Government of Davao to implement the Watershed Code, particularly in the demarcation of watershed boundaries and establishment of proper buffer zones. Email your friends and other environmental advocates and add your voices to the growing clamor for the protection of Davao City’s water and forest resources.