Cortes wants Umapad dumpsite placed under state of calamity

CEBU, Philippines - Mandaue Mayor Jonas Cortes will convene the city’s disaster council today to have the closed dumpsite in barangay Umapad placed under the state of calamity.

Cortes is alarmed over the combustion at the dumpsite, which was reportedly fueled by the methane gas underneath the piles of garbage thereat.

“It is alarming…we have to do something before the fire goes full blown,” Cortes told reporters during an inspection of the dumpsite.

Cortes said that by placing the dumpsite under a state of calamity, the city can access its calamity fund that can be used to contain the combustion.

“This is one of the dangers that this dumpsite brings us, which we are trying to avoid after I closed it on June 5, 2008. I hope the council will finally support me on this,” he said.

Cortes closed the dumpsite on June 5, 2008 just in time for the deadline set by the Ecological and Solid Waste Management Act, which provides the law for the closure of open dumpsite.

Cortes then proposed a P33 million appropriation to develop the dumpsite, but the opposition-dominated City Council approved only P20 million. The amount will be used to set up gas bents to prevent methane gas from fueling a fire.

“We could not implement our waste management plan, containing methane gas and development dumpsite into an eco-park because of lack of budget,” said Cortes.

Lawyer Benjamin Cabrido, an environmental lawyer who joined yesterday’s inspection, said the best that the city could do is contain the fire the conventional way by isolating the area by setting a perimeter canal, scattering the garbage, and pouring water over it. The procedure reportedly needs to be repeated many times.

Cabrido explained that the fire is concentrated in the old pile of garbage that has decomposed and released methane gas. He said having bents is the best way to release the methane.

“It is a calamity waiting to happen, it is like a volcano” Cabrido said.

Cabrido said the P20 million budget approved by the Council is not enough to set up the needed facility at the dumpsite.

“There are already templates presented to the council waiting to be implemented. The executive department has done its role…it is now the turn of the legislative department,” he said.

“My only wish this Christmas is that they will not use garbage as a political issue because nobody wins and it will even go back to them,” Cabrido added. — Luchino Gabutina/JMO (THE FREEMAN)