BIO-FENCES are being eyed as a sustainable solution to minimize pollution in Cebu City’s main waterways.
“What we want to recommend is for every barangay to have bio-fences similar to what we are doing in Pasil. So their garbage will stay within their territories and not reach our seas. I believe that is one way to solve this problem,” Constantino Ostulano, the barangay administrator of Pasil, told SunStar Cebu in Cebuano on Friday, July 12, 2024.
Bio-fences serve as barriers that are submerged underwater to trap and prevent solid waste from being carried offshore and out into the open sea.
Jocelyn Almacen, Pasil committee on health and sanitation chairperson, said the mouth of the Guadalupe River, which is located in the barangay, serves as the catch basin for all the city’s 12 coastal barangays.
During high tide or strong winds, all the garbage end up amassing in the river mouth, she said.
Bonifacio Bohol, Pasil committee on peace and order chairman, pointed out that erecting bio-fences in every barangay will establish “borders” that will help identify which barangay has been remiss in waste collection.
“One of our problems is that other garbage from other barangays is going to our seas. Some people may think the barangay officials are not paying attention to these problems, but this is the most difficult job we are facing now,” Bohol said in Cebuano.
Pasil officials have deputized eight environmental officers who will apprehend residents caught throwing their garbage in the river or into the sea.
Cebu City currently has 500 barangay environmental officers deployed to issue citation tickets to violators.
According to a Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Environmental Management Bureau 7 report, Guadalupe River is a “highly contaminated” body of water contaminated with domestic water and solid waste from nearby households in the densely populated area of Metro Cebu.
Complex problem
Reymarr Hijara, City Environment and Natural Resources Office officer-in-charge, said that one of the long-term solutions to address this problem is for every barangay to have its own solid waste management plan.
The solid waste management plan will serve as a manual with a set of policies that will alleviate the complex issue of waste disposal.
“This is a manual that will guide barangays to properly manage their garbage. It’s an important handbook that will systematically allow different sectoral groups and the barangay to follow the crafted rules,” Hijara told SunStar Cebu in Cebuano on Saturday, July 13.
He said the City Government is collaborating with private entities from Finland and Singapore that transform collected plastics to reusable materials such as boards similar to plywood.
He said the City already converts collected garbage into fertilizer and distributes this among local farmers.
“We collect approximately two tons of organic waste daily from the Carbon Public Market and process it at our facility in Barangay Kalunasan to produce soil conditioner or compost, diverting waste from landfills and using it to fertilize plants and trees instead,” he said.
“It really requires all the sectors of the society, including the consumers and businesses, to solve this problem. This type of issue is complex and unpredictable, and it’s occurring all over the world,” he added.
The City will conduct another quarterly citywide cleanup that will involve all 80 barangays in September. Around 5,000 volunteers are expected to participate.
The City Government is coordinating with barangay officials, civic groups and private sectors for the activity to stress the importance of proper waste management. / DPC