Stinky water from jail yet unsolved

CEBU, Philippines — The Cebu City Jail is again the subject of complaints by Barangay Kalunasan residents because of its untreated wastewater discharge.

A video posted on social media by a resident showing the wastewater that leaks from a prison pipe goes straight to a nearby road.

The residents have been complaining of the foul smell from the wastewater facility of the jail, which is managed by the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology.

Lawyer John Jigo Dacua, Cebu City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CCENRO) head, said the city is doing everything to solve the lingering problem on untreated wastewater.

In fact, he said the city’s Department of Public Services regularly hauls the septic waste from the penitentiary.

In August 2019, the city allotted P480,000 to fund the jail’s hauling services.

But owing to the jail capacity, lack of trucks and “challenging” terrain as the facility is perched atop a hill, Dacua said not all of the waste gets collected and treated.

The city jail generates waste from over 5,000 inmates.

One of the long-term solutions being eyed is the construction of a water treatment facility.

But Dacua said CCENRO and the city jail do not have sufficient funds for the construction.

He said his office will lobby to the city’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council for budget appropriation.

“We will ask the disaster council to allocate budget for the construction of a water treatment facility. The jail facility is also trying its best to address the problem. That’s why we are helping them,” he said.

Dacua said the city is also in the process of buying two more trucks to expedite the dislodging of wastes from the jail.

He said the trucks are ready for use by January next year.

City Councilor Nestor Archival Sr. said the council has formed a special body and appropriate funds to put an end to the issue.

A budget of P19.5 million has been set aside to address the problem.

“The budget is there already. But the problem is the bidding and processing. So everything is in turmoil,” he said.

It can be recalled that the Pollution Adjudication Board ordered the jail to close all exit or discharge points for its septic waste as not to pollute the nearby Guadalupe River.

The overflowing of the wastewater was attributed to the closure of the discharge points. (FREEMAN)