THE Cebu City Jail (CCJ) Male Dormitory is included in the cease and desist order (CDO) issued against the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC) for failing to meet wastewater standards.
The CCJ received the CDO on Friday, Nov. 22, 2019.
According to Cindylyn Pepito of the Ambient Air and Water Monitoring Section of the Environmental Management Bureau Central Visayas, the order came from their central office’s Pollution Adjudication Board, which decides on water quality issue.
“So the water quality didn’t pass the standard. A standard needs to be followed since behind the establishment is the Guadalupe River. If we don’t do something, the river will get polluted,” Pepito said in Cebuano.
If the jails want the CDO lifted, both facilities must overhaul and retrofit their wastewater system, she said.
CPDRC Warden Reynaldo Valmoria said they will desludge the jail’s five septic tanks and control the use of water, especially since they have fewer inmates.
He said their inmates can still use the restrooms.
They will also take note of the load each septic tank can accommodate, he said.
The CPDRC is home to 2,014 inmates, while the CCJ has a population of 5,721 inmates.
Pepito said they already cemented the wastewater drainage system of the CPDRC leading to the Guadalupe River on Monday, Nov. 25.
They will cement the drainage system of the CCJ on Tuesday, Nov. 26, she said.
They will place a tarpaulin at the gate of both jails as a public notice, she added. (JCT)