WHO keeps eye on Smokey Mountain

The World Health Organization (WHO) is closely monitoring the developments in Smokey Mountain and other parts of Metro Manila, which are said to be a good test case for its new task in health management.

This was revealed by Dr. Yugi Kawaguchi, director of the WHO Kobe Center (WKC), in a recent visit to the cities of Manila, Makati, Marikina and Quezon.

Kawaguchi led a seven-man research mission to the Philippines to assess the health problems in key cities and how these could be solved through the WKC's "human-centered development strategy."

This strategy, according to Kawaguchi, encompasses not only medical research but interdisciplinary approach and multisectoral involvement in all areas of concern affecting the people's health, which include socioeconomic and political considerations.

"Waste disposal, for example, is always a political issue but one that requires immediate, safe and lasting solution or there will be a lot of Smokey Mountains all over the world," Kawaguchi said.

He said the WKC's concept of health management "focuses on disease prevention because treatment alone will not enable us to cope with the global situation.

Accompanied by Manila City Hall executives, the WKC officials visited the Smokey Mountain development site where they were presented various health and environment safeguards being implemented in the area.

Kawaguchi cited as good example the cleanliness of Marikina even at the barangay level and the waste remediation system in Smokey Mountain.

Now being transformed into a self-contained model urban community, the Smokey Mountain has been designed to have its own waste water treatment plant and solid waste management system, medium-rise residential condominium buildings, power and water supply, market, schools, road network and mini-forest park, hospital, and other health-related facilities to make it totally safe for commercial and residential purposes.

Just across the former dumpsite is a reclaimed area called the Manila Harbor Center, which is being developed into a masterplanned, fully-integrated, traffic-free, environment-friendly and pollution-free port city, the first ever in the country and which shall provide jobs to the people of Smokey Mountain.