THE City of San Fernando Water District (CSFWD) needs some P100 million and less than a hectare of land to construct a septage treatment facility.
CSFWD general manager Jorge Gumba said the amount would at least see through the fulfillment of the planned treatment facility as envisioned in Ordinance 2018-1 or "An Ordinance Establishing a Septage Management System in the City of San Fernando, Pampanga, Providing Penalties for Violations Thereof and for other Purposes."
The construction and operation of sewerage and septage systems are required by the Clean Water Act of 2004 (Republic Act No. 9275).
The law imposes a fine of P200,000 for every day of non-compliance. The National Sewerage and Septage Management Program, implemented by the Department of Public Works and Highways, set 2020 as deadline for cities to establish their own septage management system.
The water district will be in charge of the collection and treatment of septage and would charge fees per cubic meter of collected waste.
Because the ordinance prohibits the use of creeks and other forms of waterways for the disposal of human waste (feces and urine), it was suggested that the city government allot funds for the construction of communal toilets, according to Gumba.
In 2009, a company was fined for dumping sludge in sugarcane farms in Barangay Alasas and Magliman.
Gumba said they were in the process of identifying the source of the fund and how to proceed with the construction and management of the planned facility.