DAVAO CITY–A coastal village here will be the site of the PHP300-million Sanitation Embankment Project (SEP) by the Department of Science and Technology in Region 11 (DOST-11).
Barangay 76-A in Bucana was chosen primarily because of its location in a coastal area and for its proximity to the Davao River.
DOST-11 Regional Director Anthony Sales said the project has already been approved by the City Council as part of its cleanup drive of this city’s water sources.
The fund for the project will come from the People’s Survival Fund, created by Republic Act 10174 and intended for local government units and accredited organizations to implement climate change adaptation projects.
Sales said the project site will use a portion of the river towards Barangay Bucana for flood control structures, which will also address sanitation issues through the vertical helophyte filter system (VHFS)–one of the technologies showcased in the ongoing National Science Week at the SM Convention Center here.
SEP is an initiative under Sanifyt, a partnership between Dutch and Filipino entities, created to reduce flood risks, reduce environment pollution of residences along the Davao River, as well as improve the sanitary conditions in informal settlements.
Based on the proposal the project will be 1.13-km long, 15m wide and 3.5m high. Its design features include a bicycle and pedestrian lane for recreational purposes. It will have a basketball court and a skatepark.
Sales said part of the plan is to include a four-lane bypass road from the Bolton Bridge to the proposed coastal road to increase the mobility in the downtown area.
He said the project is primarily designed to treat the wastewater going out to the sea and river. Smaller channels with eight-inch pipes will be placed to distribute wastewater from the houses to the bigger pipes in the larger channels, creating a simplified sewage system.
“So we will only use the existing channels provided by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to segregate the wastewater from the rainwater, and effectively distribute the waste to the sani-embankment,” Sales said. -Digna D. Banzon/PNA
