MORE than a thousand local government units have yet to comply with the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said.
In a statement, DENR Secretary Ramon Paje said he will meet with Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo to discuss ways on how to enhance LGU compliance with the law.
“We really need to come up with a purposive approach of enhancing their compliance so as to prevent any more catastrophe such as this trashslide in Baguio City,” Paje said, referring to the collapse of a dumpsite at the Philippines’ summer capital during the onslaught of Typhoon Mina.
As early as 2006, the DENR, through the National Solid Waste Management Commission, has sent out notices of violation to more than a thousand LGUs who have continually been operating open and controlled dumpsites, Paje said.
“The DENR’s role is to help LGUs manage their garbage. At the national level, the government is performing, but the LGUs are not complying. Dapat kasuhan na talaga sa Ombudsman,” he said
Since the law holds the LGUs primarily responsible for solid waste management in their areas of jurisdiction, local executives who do not have the capability to construct landfills should form clusters with other neighboring LGUs as this would be more feasible, the DENR chief said.
“Although there is indeed a legal issue with the Baguio tragedy, now is not the time for finger pointing,” Paje said.
“The DENR has been working closely with the LGU and the provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council since the tragedy to address the problem, remove the trash and bring it to Capas, retrieve the bodies . . . We will tackle the legal issue later,” he added.
Paje also committed to extend technical assistance in the construction of the retailing wall of the dumpsite.
He said the Irisan dump that collapsed last Saturday had been closed since 2008 and that “it has been acting as a materials recovery facility (MRF), a ‘transfer station’ where the LGU would sort recyclable and non-recyclable waste before bringing the latter to the landfill in Capas, Tarlac.”
The official said the tragedy may have been caused by an engineering problem.
“Hindi sila naglagay ng daluyan ng tubig . . . Sa tingin ko, hindi sila naglagay ng labasan dahil the leachate would come out and they would still have to put up a collecting pan. Hindi nakaya ng retaining wall yung bumagsak na tubig so ang nangyari, bumigay,” he said.
The Irisan site had been identified as an area highly susceptible to landslides in a geohazard map of the province, he said, adding that all LGU officials have been asked to review the geohazard maps distributed by the DENR to assess which areas are prone to floods and landslides to avoid future tragedies.
“The maps identify areas of no-habitation zone, plus debris accumulation zones, kung saan ipinapakita na kapag tumibag ang lupa, dun [sa lugar na iyon] itatambak ang lupa,” he said.
The DENR chief said the problem of solid waste management remains a responsibility of each Filipino citizen, and that the best way to address it was to ensure segregation at source. It is estimated that with every household practicing waste segregation at home, only 30 per cent of waste would actually be dumped in landfills nationwide.
Under the law, the establishment or operation of open dumpsites is punishable with a minimum fine of a P500,000. LGU officials can also be charged administratively in accordance with the Local Government Code.
==============================================================================
By: James Konstantin Galvez
Source: Manila Times, Aug. 31, 2011
To view the original article, click here.
Comment here