Rama: Impound vehicles of illegal waste haulers

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama ordered the impounding of vehicles of haulers and desludgers illegally transporting septage waste without accreditation from the city.

This is to ensure that waste will not be thrown to rivers clogging effluent-dominated waterways.

“It is the avowed policy of the city government to adopt measures to protect the health of the people and the environment by controlling, managing, and regulating the storage, collection, transport, treatment and disposal of septage or sludge from various sources,” Rama said.

Section 20 of Republic Act 9275, otherwise known as The Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004, mandates local government units to prepare a program on septage management.

The provision also allows sharing the responsibility in the management and improvement of water quality within respective territorial jurisdictions.

To carry out this imprimatur, the Cebu City Septic Management Board passed a resolution “setting forth the minimum requirements for accreditation of private septic haulers and desludgers.”

These requirements which are enumerated in the resolution required the hauler/desludger to secure business permits; must have an adequate covered garage for septic hauling trucks within the city; hiring personnel with training and orientation in environmental safety and health hazard avoidance, safe and clean operation, among others.

A hauler or desludger is also required to have vaccum trucks capable of transporting septic and wastewater and equipped with powerful suction pump and leak free hoses.

The proprietor of the hauling and desluding services is obliged to execute a sworn affidavit of undertaking to “faithfully comply with the provisions of co 2398 (Cebu City Septic Management Board).”

The collected septage waste will be brought to the city Septic Treatment Plant at the North Reclamation area for proper treatment and disposal.

The haulers and desludgers will be paying P250 per cubic meter as disposal fee.

City Environment and Natural Resources Office, the Cebu Environmental Sanitation and Enforcement Team, barangay officials, City Traffic Operations Management and PNP-CCPO are authorized to “accost and inspect” any desludging truck if they are duly accredited to undertake desludging and hauling services.

At least four septic haulers are applying for accreditation, including Northern Septic Tank Services, Linjohn Septic Tank Services, Cebu Septic Tank Services Corp ug JCM Septic Tank Services.

The board is designated to determine whether to grant or deny accreditation of septic haulers to engage in the operation of septic desludging. — Kristine B. Quintas/LPM (FREEMAN)