NGO supports opposition to Naga coal ash dumpsite

CEBU, Philippines - A Manila-based waste and pollution watchdog slammed a controversial plan by the provincial government to set up a dumpsite by the beach for coal combustion waste or what is commonly known as coal ash.

In a letter to Governor Gwendolyn Garcia and Vice-Governor Gregorio Sanchez, Jr., the EcoWaste Coalition expressed its “profound objection” against the planned dumping of coal ash at the government-owned Balili Beach Resort in Naga City.

The dumpsite is intended for the tons of coal combustion waste from the expanded 200-megawatt coal power plant of the Korea Electric Power Corp. in Naga City that is set to operate by February 2011.  KEPCO will pay US$1 million to Capitol for the permit to dump.

The letter from EcoWaste bolstered the opposition lodged by lawyers Gloria Estenzo Ramos and Benjamin Cabrido who have earlier scored the officials for engaging in the business of coal ash dumping.

“In the greater interest of human and ecological health, we urge the government of Cebu to apply the precautionary principle, reconsider its coal ash deal with KEPCO, and prevent a potential chemical crisis that might even cost beyond the US$1 million promised by the company,” EcoWaste president Manny Calonzo said in his letter.

“We urge the government of Cebu to learn from the unfolding health and environmental problems in the US due to the toxic releases from coal combustion waste ponds, pits, dumpsites and landfills, some of which have been declared as Superfund sites or toxic waste sites requiring very costly cleanups,” Calonzo added.

The EcoWaste Coalition pointed out that coal combustion byproducts are not exactly benign waste, as these can contain dangerous levels of harmful chemicals associated with cancer and non-cancer risks such as arsenic, boron, cadmium, cobalt, lead, mercury, molybdenum, nitrates/nitrites, and selenium.

The group cited a Greenpeace Southeast Asia study of ash samples from the coal-fired power plant of the National Power Corp. in Calaca, Batangas that tested positive with mercury, a toxic metal, which prompted then Senator Sergio Osmeña to describe the detection of mercury in the coal ash as “an environmental disaster which I would not wish on anyone.”

Moreover, EcoWaste questioned the capability of the provincial and city authorities to monitor, regulate and mitigate the adverse effects of coal ash dumping to ensure the long-term health and safety especially of those living near the area, as well their water supplies and the marine resources.— AJ A. de la Torre/JMO (THE FREEMAN)