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NORDIS
WEEKLY August 28, 2005 |
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Benguet Dads want solid waste ruling implem |
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Envi Com nixes Tuba Reso LA TRINIDAD, Benguet (Aug. 22) — The lone Benguet town cited for its efforts at solid waste management did not get the Sangguniang Panlalawigan’s (SP) support to its decision to not to heed the provisions of RA 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000. Provincial board members think that Tuba should instead adhere to the law. The Committee on Environment chaired by Board Member Aloysius Kato decided not to support Tuba local government’s request for it to be exempted from the implementation of the sanitary landfill waste disposal project and instead construct and maintain its present dumpsite facility. Tuba Sangguniang Bayan (SB) Resolution # 103, series of 2005 cited that the town generates only some 3,000 kilograms of solid waste, “that does not warrant the establishment of a sanitary landfill”. Tuba legislators instead argued that the municipality maintained its controlled dumpsite and be exempted from implementing RA 9003. In a proposed SP resolution presented during the regular SP session today, the Benguet Committee on Environment said it finds the resolution inconsistent with RA 9003 and its implementing rules and regulations. It is similarly inconsistent with the thrust of the province towards environmental protection, the Kato-led committee said, citing Provincial Ordinance # 04-91 or the Benguet Local Environmental Code. Kato, instead advised Tuba councilors to proceed with its moves towards the establishment of a sanitary landfill. He said they have been on the right tract having been cited as one among a few municipalities nationwide who have had headway at implementing the solid waste management law. Tuba has been among the 21 municipalities cited by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in 2003 for its efforts at solid waste management. These municipalities, according to an article published by denr.gov.ph on Nov. 10 2003, have met physical indicators that entitle local government units to become models in ecological solid waste management. The four physical indicators the DENR has observed in Tuba are segregation at source, segregated collection, establishment of materials recovery facilities in barangays and establishment of composting sites facilities. Tuba, the 18th in the list, is the only town in Benguet included in the list. The first three are Puerto Princessa in Palawan; Boracay Island in Malay, Aklan; and Tuguegarao City in Cagayan. RA 9003 provides that no controlled dumps shall be allowed five (5) years following its effectivity. The law was approved on January 26, 2001 and took effect in 2002. By 2007, all controlled dumpsites should have been closed down and converted into sanitary landfills. The law also provides that open dumpsites shall not be allowed as final disposal sites. If an open dumpsite is existing within the city or municipality, the solid waste management plan shall make provisions for its closure or eventual phase out within the period specified under the framework and pursuant to the provisions under Sec. 37 of the Act. As an alternative, sanitary landfill sites shall be developed and operated as a final disposal site for solid and, eventually, residual wastes of a municipality or city or a cluster of municipality and/or cities. Sanitary landfills shall be designed and operated in accordance with the guidelines set under Secs. 40 and 41. Section 40 set the minimum for the criteria for a sanitary landfill site, to be consistent with the overall land use plan of the LGU; accessible from major roadways or thoroughfares; has an adequate quantity of earth cover material that is easily handled and compacted; considers the sensitivities of the community’s residents; located in an area where the landfill’s operation will not detrimentally affect environmentally sensitive resources such as aquifer, groundwater reservoir or watershed area; large enough to accommodate the community’s wastes for a period of five (5) years during which people must internalize the value of environmentally sound and sustainable solid waste disposal; the site chosen should facilitate developing a landfill that will satisfy budgetary constraints, including site development, operation for many years, closure, post-closure care and possible remediation costs; Operating plans must include provisions for coordinating with recycling and resource recovery projects; and a separate containment area for household hazardous wastes. Section 41, likewise set the minimum criteria for the establishment of sanitary landfill. # Lyn V. Ramo for NORDIS |
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