Mayor orders probe on defective dumpsite wall

By Dexter A. See

BAGUIO CITY– Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan here ordered an investigation on the reason behind the alleged defective implementation of the over P10 million extension of the retaining wall of the Irisan open dumpsite which is being temporarily used as a residual containment area.

The mayor issued the order after numerous reports reached his office that the extension of the Irisan dumpsite retaining wall which was implemented by the previous administration bulged due to reported poor mixture of concrete as well as insufficient steel bars used in the foundation and the posts.

“The city engineer must make sure the contractor must first implement the necessary corrective measures in the retaining wall at his own expense before our administration will implement another extension of the retaining wall so that it could accommodate residual waste from the different barangays in the meantime that solutions are being crafted for the city’s solid waste problem,” Domogan said.

The mayor said the solution to the city’s solid waste management problem should not be left to the city government but must be done through the collective effort of all residents who must segregate waste inside their homes before these are collected in the identified pick up points by the garbage trucks.

Aside from purchasing brand new garbage trucks to be used to effectively collect the segregated wastes from the barangays, Domogan cited need to use the Irisan dumpsite as a residual containment area while the city government works out options on how to dispose increasing number of biodegradable waste.

The local government is contemplating on purchasing several machines from a manufacturer from Japan which could convert at least 24 tons of biodegradable waste into fertilizer that could dry up in just two hours after being treated.

If the Japanese technology will be suitable in the city, Domogan said the proposed engineered sanitary landfill project will still be part of the long-term solution to the garbage problem but priority will be given to the said technology so that bulk of the city’s biodegradable waste will be converted into fertilizer to be used by the farmers in nearby Benguet.

He called on local residents to be patient on the present state of the city’s garbage problem since all efforts are being done by the city government to formulate the appropriate solutions within the next several months in order to bring back cleanliness all over the city.