Water and Development

          Davao city has a total of nine principal watersheds, namely Lasang, Bunawan Panacan, Matina Davao, Talomo, Lipadas, and portions of Inawayan and Sibulan.  The tolal area of the Nine (9) watersheds is 293.171.69 hectares.  Of said area, about 37.59 % or 110.209.17 hectares are considered alienable and disposable land and 62% or 182.962.20 hectares are classified as forest lands.  The surveys indicate that about fifty percent (50%) of these watersheds are still forested.  However, a large part of these forested areas can be considered as  as second growth forests because they had already been logged before.  Of the nine (9) watersheds, only one (Davao-Malagos)  has been proclaimed as a protected watershed by the government which has a total land are of of 235 hectares or .08% of the total land area of Davao City's nine watersheds.

          Watersheds are of important economic value to mankind for it primarily stores water for irrigation,  provides pasture for grazing, provides water for   domestic  hydroelectric power generation.  Watersheds help maintain ecological balance, minimize the happening of floods and droughts, purify and cool air, control soil erosion and serves as habitat of important animal species.

          However, the growth of  population in Davao City, coupled with its economic development, might lessen the capacity of the city's watershed to provide continuos quality and adequate water supply in the years to come.  Anticipating this problem, there is a need to carefully plan the city's water resources to meet the needs of its inhabitants in the new millennium.

          The only rational way of planning Davao City's water resources is through sustainable development.

          The concept of sustainability recognizes that natural resources (water for example) is scarce and hardly replenishable.  On the other hand, development (housing subdivisions for example) is the achievement of material progress without compromising the life support functions of natural systems.  It is the meeting of the need of the citizens today without limiting the options of the future generations to fulfill their needs.  It is development without destruction.

           Sustainable development is the pursuit for the higher levels of the quality of life while preserving or even enhancing environmental quality.  It means a system oriented and integrated approach in the analysis of  of solution of development problems and the promotion of people's participation and decentralization in implementing programs.  It stresses the need to view environmental protection and economic growth a mutually compatible not only to the needs of the society, but also to the natural dynamics and carrying capacities of the ecosystems.

Atty.  Ed C. Batacan
Professor, Environmental Law, Natural resources Law
Law on Property, and Merchantile Law
Atene de Davao University, College of Law