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Country Water Action Philippines

Desludging Dumaguete

Sanitation and Wastewctober 2013

Dumaguete City, PhilippinesA model septage management program, the Philippines first government-financed systemprotects the citys water resources and the health of Dumaguete citizens.

A Partnership on Septage

The City Government of Dumaguete and the DumagueteCity Water District (DCWD) embarked on a joint venturein 2009 to implement a septage management programfor the city. The partnership financed the constructionof a septage treatment facility and established theCity Septage Management Administration (CSMA) tooversee the facilitys day-to-day operations.

A Memorandum of Agreement between the citygovernment and DCWD provided for equal sharing ofcapital and operating costs and income earned, andclearly defined the duties and responsibilities of bothpartners. The government spent about P15 million($0.4 million) for the development and construction ofthe septage treatment facility. The government is alsoin-charge of operating and maintaining the septagetreatment plant, which includes treatment, disposaland reuse of sludge. DCWD, on the other hand, isresponsible for collecting and transporting septage tothe treatment plant, collection of septage user fees, and

maintenance of financial records, among others. DCWDis also responsible for the procurement of vacuumtrucks, financed through a loan from the Local WaterUtilities Administration.

Dumaguete received several national awards for itsseptage management initiative, including the GalingPook Award for Environment in March 2013. Neighborcities have sought partnership with the Dumaguete CityGovernment to use its facility to treat their local septage.

The City Septage Challenge

Dumaguete City in the province of Negros Oriental ishome to about 125,000 people, which doubles duringthe day to about 300,000, with tourists and employeesfrom nearby towns flocking to the city daily. To sustain

its economic activities, the city relies on 16 deep wellsand 900 shallow wells as primary sources of watersupply. Surface water sources, while available, havebeen deteriorating in quality due to urban pollution.

With no sewerage system and an estimated 20,000septic tanks spread throughout the city, Dumaguetewas vulnerable to outbreaks of water-borne diseasesand other health hazards due to possible groundwater

contamination as the citys untreated wastewater wasdischarged directly into freshwater sources.

Dumaguete started to face its septage challenge in2004 when the city was included in the United States

Agency for International Developments (USAID) LocalInitiatives for Affordable Wastewater Treatment (LINAW)program. LINAW aims to engage local governmentsto promote initiatives for cost-ef fective wastewatertreatment. Through the program, a technical workinggroup, composed of representatives from the CityGovernment offices, members of the EnvironmentCommittee of the City Council and the private sector,

was formed to draft a city ordinance that would supportthe development of a septage management program forthe entire city.

The city ordinance, adopted by the City Council in2006, provided the foundation of Dumaguetes septagemanagement program. It called for, among others:

standardization of the design, construction andmaintenance of septic tanks, with emphasis onthe need for regular desludging of tanks;

supervision of handling and management ofcollected septage by a body composed ofvarious stakeholders;

construction of a septage treatment facility; and imposition of septage users fee to recover

capital and operating costs of the program.

Dumaguete, a coastal city in Negros island, boasts of a model septage management program that is the repartnership between the city government and the local water utility. Photo courtesy of Josephine Antonio / City Government of Du

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Sustainable Sanitation

With a users fee of P2 (about $0.05) included in thecustomers monthly water bill, the Dumaguete citygovernment quickly recovered both capital and operatingexpenses of the septage management facility. Revenuesgenerated by the septage management program will alsobe allocated to develop projects for the host barangayand finance other projects such as construction of a

new health center, scholarships to poor but deservingcollege students, and installation of communal sanitationfacilities for households without toilets.

The septage users fee is 64% cheaper than thoseimposed by other private desludging operators thatservice septic tanks every 3-5 years. In addition to beingmore affordable, the septage management programcovers both collection and treatment of septage,whereas private desludgers offer only collectionservices.

In 2012, the septage management program netted a total

income of about P15 million ($0.4 million), with most of itcoming from users fees. This is based on a populationof 24,000 households with an average monthly waterconsumption of 25 cubic meters. Actual operation andmaintenance expenses were estimated to be aboutP11.2 million ($0.28 million), covering employee salaries,fuel, taxes, supplies, and other expenditures. About P4.1million ($0.10 million) of the net income will be reservedby the local government for environmental programs andprojects.

Doing It Dumaguete StyleThe septage management program has facilitatedthe regulation of private desludging service providers.Before, private desludgers operate without a businesspermit and indiscriminately dispose septage into rivers,lakes or into the sea. With the program, permits arenow being issued by the Department of Environment

and Natural Resources (DENR) to private desludgingcompanies with an explicit condition that collectedseptage should be discharged to the citys septagetreatment plant.

The program has also gained popularity with othercities and towns. City and town officials from Baliuag(Bulacan), Isabela (Basilan), Lucena (Quezon Province)Metro Cebu and Davao City began trooping toDumaguete to see for themselves how the citys septagemanagement system works. They studied the programand have initiated their own systems in their respectivecommunities.

Inspired by Dumaguetes success, the Baliuag WaterDistrict developed a septage management program forthe town of Baliuag in Bulacan province through a P60million loan ($1.5 million) from one of the local banks.For its part, the local government of Baliuag passedan ordinance fully supporting the program. The townsseptage treatment facility, inaugurated in April 2013, isexpected to benefit around 160,000 residents.

References:Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG). July 2007. Philippine

Environmental Governance 2 Report (EcoGov 2) - Septage Management in the Philippines: Current Practices and Lessons Learned.

Engr. Josie Antonio. Septage Management System, Dumaguete City Government. Powerpoint presentation.David Robbins, et. al. July 2012. Opportunities in Fecal Sludge Management for Cities in Developing Countries: Experiences from the Philippines.KOICA, UNEP and CAPS. Local Initiatives for Affordable Wastewater Treatment (LINAW): Case of Dumaguete City (Public Market and Septage

Treatment Plant).Julian Doczi. 2012. The Septage Management System of the Baliwag Water District, Philippines. http://watsanexp.ning.com/profiles/blogs/the-

septage-management-system-of-the-baliwag-water-district (Accessed 19 September 2013).

This Country Water Action was written by Robert Domingo, ADB Consultant.

ADB Water for Alls Country Water Action series showcases reforms and good practices

in the water sector undertaken in ADBs member countries. It offers a mix of experience

and insights from projects funded by ADB and those undertaken directly by civil society,

local governments, the private sector, media, and the academe. The Country Water

Actions are regularly featured in ADBs Water for All News enewsletter, which coverswater sector developments in the Asia and Pacific region.

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Dumaguetes septage collection trucks provide septic tank desludging services and brings

collected wastewater to the t reatment facility. Photo courtesy of Josephine Antonio / City

Government of Dumaguete

Dumaguete Citys septage treatment facility generated a total net income of P15 million

($0.4 million) in 2012 and finances some of the citys other development projects. Photocourtesy of Josephine Antonio / City Government of Dumaguete

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