Open pig pens, septic tanks polluting city drinking water

42 Pinget piggeries near watershed to be demolished 

BAGUIO CITY – Water supply of piggeries and septic tanks within or near Buyog Watershed here are polluting water distributed by the Baguio Water District to residents, according to Baguio Water District officials.   

Following this, Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan ordered city government department heads, Department of Environment and Natural Resources and Pinget barangay officials to demolish 42 piggeries because of sanitary violations like in not constructing septic tanks for proper disposal of waste from said piggeries.

During recent meeting with members of United Pinget Homeowners Association, barangay officials and representatives of concerned government agencies Jan 24 , the local chief executive said it was agreed piggeries within the Buyog watershed installed by members of the association which occupy areas which is part of what is proposed to be segregated from the watershed will be removed 15 days from said date of meeting.

He said it was also agreed that residential buildings that do not have septic tanks or with septic tanks but did not comply with CBAO design and specifications will have to comply within 15 days from the date of said meeting and failure to comply will cause demolition of said buildings.

Last Feb. 7, representatives of CBAO, BWD, DOH, DENR and barangay officials inspected buildings and piggeries of the UPHA to check compliance to earlier agreements.

However, results of the said multi-agency inspection showed 42 homeowners maintain piggeries and from the said number of homeowners, two have ongoing constructions of septic tanks; 21 have not constructed septic tanks and 19 have existing septic tanks but not in compliance with CBAO design and specifications.

“We have no recourse but to direct the concerned offices to demolish the structures that did not comply with our previous agreement and likewise remove the piggeries. The concerned offices are directed to issue notice to involved parties on time and date they will implement said directive,” Domogan said.

Earlier, engineer Salvador M. Royeca, BWD general manager, wrote Domogan seeking his intervention in making UPHA members and residents of Buyog watershed comply with previous directive of removing the piggeries and construct water-tight waste water disposal system in accordance with CBAO designs and specifications.

Royeca said removal of piggeries and structures that do not have the appropriate septic tanks is in accordance to programs of the water district in ensuring safe drinking water for residents of the city.

Domogan appealed to concerned Pinget residents to voluntarily comply with what was agreed upon, especially removal of piggeries, and for building owners to ensure installation of appropriate septic tanks to prevent contamination of the water supply being sourced from the Buyog watershed. -- Dexter A. See