City secures Irisan dump

FEAR of another trash slide kept local officials busy in securing the Irisan dumpsite as Tropical Storm Dindo battered the region last Thursday.

Mayor Mauricio Domogan said the downpours may saturate the remaining inert garbage and has a probability of falling into nearby houses below.

To secure the dumpsite, tarpaulins were placed over the trash to prevent rain from washing away unstable garbage and saturate old trash; while a program of works is being finalized for the rehabilitation of the collapsed retaining wall and the conversion of the 30-year-old decommissioned Irisan dumpsite into an eco-park.

Abnormal accumulation of water in the dumpsite that saturated the inert garbage kept in the decommissioned dump for years resulted in the collapse of the wall last year, sending an avalanche of garbage estimated at 15,000 tons to more than 20 houses in Asin Road.

The trash slide killed at least six people, injured several while destroying homes in the area.

Domogan said they are rushing the repair process as good news arrived from Malacañang last month that the P80 million needed to reconstruct the collapsed portion of the wall was approved.

With an expected three typhoons each month until the end of the year, city officials and residents living below the dump could only hope the retaining wall will be built in time for another strong typhoon.

The mayor also said the drainage canal surrounding the dumpsite was recently cleared to ensure water will not be impounded.

He also instructed the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) district engineering office to fast track the release of program of works from the DPWH-Central Office to immediately carry out the rehabilitation project.

In a recent meeting of the Bids and Awards Committee, it was decided that it is legally allowable to award the rehabilitation project to a contractor since funding was already approved.