Monday, December 24, 2007 Talisay to fence off sanitary landfill
PLANS are underway to set up a perimeter fence at the City-run sanitary landfill in Tapul, a mountain barangay of Talisay City.
City Administrator Richel Bacaltos yesterday said the construction a perimeter fence is one of the City’s preventive measures to limit, if not prohibit, a number of scavengers at the landfill site.
When Talisay City beat reporters visited the facility early this year, over 50 scavengers were seen sifting through piles of garbage.
Among them were minors who opted to earn a living through scavenging recyclable items instead of going to school.
The City detailed a security guard at the site but it seemed the presence of the minor scavengers was tolerated.
Documents awaited
Bacaltos said he has no idea yet if the City Engineering Office has already sketched out the program of work for the proposed perimeter fence.
He said the documents of the proposal have not been forwarded to his office.
Sun.Star Cebu also learned that City Hall is delegating the task of segregating recyclable and non-biodegradable materials to barangay officials of Tapul.
This means the City will have to deputize barangay leaders to manage the operations of the landfill’s material recovery facility.
However, the City’s perimeter fencing plan may be derailed with the recent resolution of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) 7 affirming City Hall’s violation of operating the landfill without an environmental compliance certificate (ECC).
Talisay’s violation
After a substantial review, the DENR’s Environmental Management Bureau found out that the City Hall violated Presidential Decree 1586 or the Philippine Environment Statement System Act.
Mayor Socrates Fernandez filed a formal letter of reconsideration after the DENR 7 sent a notice of violation to the Talisay City Government last May.
Fernandez pleaded that the City be exempted from paying a P50,000 fine, as he explained that the sanitary landfill is an ongoing project that has complied with 85 percent of development requirements.
He said the non-execution of deed of absolute sale of three private lot owners hindered the approval of the City’s ECC application.
The landfill, which began operating in December 2005, sits on an estimated 20-meter-deep valley covering six hectares in Tapul, though only three hectares have been developed where the City currently dumps its garbage.
Talisay City already abandoned its open dumpsite in Barangay Biasong and established the sanitary landfill in compliance with the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000. (GC)
