Ben Madilynn
THE operator of the waste facility in Barangay Binaliw, Cebu City, was told to resolve the various environmental and health concerns, including the persistent foul odor and the contaminated water emanating from the facility.
Acting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia conducted a follow-up site visit at the Binaliw landfill and met the management of the facility owned by Prime Waste Solutions (PWS) Cebu on Friday morning, Sept. 20, 2024. He was accompanied by councilors Pastor Alcover Jr., Edgardo “Jaypee” Labella and Joel Garganera.
During his visit, he said that “naay baho (there is a smell).”
Garcia, after the meeting, told the reporters that the three aspects that he wanted to be addressed were the persistent foul odor, contaminated water, and the lack of storm drains to accommodate run-off water during heavy rainfall.
He urged the landfill operators and the concerned city departments to submit a report by next week.
The report should contain the short-, medium-, and long-term solutions involving the environmental and health concerns coming from the landfill, he said.
“Wagtangon gyud ang baho kay malooy ta sa neighboring areas diri nga mao ang reklamo ug nihatag usab sila og petition,” Garcia said.
This was the second time he visited the Binaliw landfill. His initial inspection was on Sept. 2, 2024, after receiving complaints from residents in nearby communities regarding the persistent foul odor emanating from the landfill.
“Gipatan-aw usab nato ang quality sa tubig kay nakita man gud nato naay reklamo but it was Consolacion (town). This is still very near Cebu City,” he added.
Garcia said the PWS Cebu had agreed to conduct a joint inspection and collect water samples from nearby areas with suspected contaminated water.
Another concern was the run-off water coming from the landfill during the heavy downpour and the lack of catchment facilities.
Garcia said that this run-off should have been drained or flowed towards a rain-catchment facility. In which he wanted it to be treated first before discharge to the rivers and waterways down to the sea.
He added that these run-off waters are believed to be contaminated and may contaminate aquifers, which could also cause various environmental and health concerns.
After he received the report, he called another meeting with the PWS Cebu and the concerned department heads to implement these countermeasures.
During the meeting, a PWS Cebu representative told Garcia that the foul smell might come from trucks transporting and unloading solid waste in and out of the facility.
To mitigate the smell, PWS Cebu has intensified various measures, including chemical spraying of fresh waste to control odor and soil covering soil topping.
However, these were temporary measures as PWS Cebu awaits the full operation of the material recovery facility which will limit the transfer of the garbage from various areas in the facility, thus eliminating the foul smell.
On Sept. 3, the City Council held an executive session with the PWS in attendance to address concerns at the landfill.
City Councilor Pastor Alcover Jr. accused PWS of ignoring the problems, pointing out that the latter was in the defensive.
City Councilor Joel Garganera, for his part, criticized PWS for talking but not taking action.
Acting Vice Mayor Donaldo Hontiveros echoed their sentiments, expressing dissatisfaction with PWS’ answers.
Kevin Matthew Shao, PWS Cebu representative, told the council that there was no way the issues could be addressed overnight. However, he promised to take action on the residents’ concerns. He acknowledged that odors are common in waste management.
With regards to the stench emanating from the site, Shao attributed it to rainwater mixing with the waste.
Last Sept. 2, 156 members of the Sta. Ana Homeowners Association in Binaliw submitted a petition to Garcia, urging the City to take action on the issue. /EHP
