THE Cagayan de Oro City Government needs over P2 billion for a sewerage system after it has completed a three-year feasibility study for the construction of a sewage treatment facility, said an official Monday, October 14.
City Local Environment and Natural Resources Office (Clenro) chief Engineer Armen Cuenca said the planned sewerage system will either be put up in Barangay Kauswagan or Bonbon.
Cuenca said the City is currently submitting requirements to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), which vowed to shoulder 50 percent of the total amount of the sewerage system project.
A draft ordinance for the project implementation is up for the City Council and Mayor Oscar Moreno's approval. The ordinance, Cuenca said, is one of the requirements to avail the DPWH assistance.
"Ang sewerage system tanan nato residente ug commercial iconnect iyang water discharges sa large pipes, mura ba ug kutay sa kuryente, naay pipes along the road then ang maong water discharges dalhon sa planta, ang planta hinloan niya ang hugaw nga tubig ayha ilabay paingon sa suba. Isa ra ka planta pero daghan kaayo tubo nga mag-connect," Cuenca said, describing the planned sewer system.
Under the Clean Water Act, every highly urbanized city is required to put a sewerage system. Sewerage system is network of pipes, pumps, and force mains for the collection of wastewater, or sewage, from a community.
The absence of a sewerage system in Cagayan de Oro City is among the factors why the seawater in Barangay Bonbon and Cagayan de Oro river are contaminated with high level of fecal coliform, the DENR-Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) Monitoring and Enforcement Division said.
The fecal coliform level in the seawater of Barangay Bonbon reached 248 most probable number (MPN) per 100 mL, higher than the 100 MPN/100 mL standard, in the third quarter of this year.
Cuenca, meanwhile, downplayed the presence of fecal coliform in the water bodies of the city, saying the EMB water quality test result is inconclusive.
"Dili man conclusive ang result kay kausa ra man, possible ang concentration sa hugaw ato nga higayon mao ang nakalos para sa laboratory testing. Dili man gud weekly or daily ang monitoring nga maka-conclude gyud ta nga hugaw gyud," he said.
Cuenca said bathing in Bonbon and the river is still safe, except those with sensitive skin.
"Kung sensitive gyud imong skin, dili gyud pwede, pero kung pareha sa ako nga panit nga dili madutlan, okay ra siya. Ang importante lang dili nato mainom kay maka maka-LBM na," he added.
Cuenca also said the fecal coliform problem in the rivers and seas has always been there, not only in Barangay Bonbon but also in other coastal villages.
"It just so happen nga ang BBarangay Bonbon ang na-focus kay diha man ang testing. In Misamis Oriental, ang testing area is ang Opol," he added.