Brgy. Felisa Sanitary Landfill is an Open Dumpsite’; Deadly infectious matters found and leacheate reaching Bago City – Gamboa

This is the main contention of the Position Paper, dated July 13, 2021, submitted by Bacolod City Councilor Wilson Gamboa, Jr. to the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) and urging the City Government of Bacolod to immediately close it down, due to its current status and look for an alternative area suited for a Sanitary Landfill (SL) pursuant to the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 (Republic Act 9003).

The Gamboa Position Paper read, that since its inception in 2004, this so-called SL-Dumpsite in Purok Acacia, Brgy. Felisa is plagued with questions and violations of R.A. 9003 and cited that in 2006, the City Government is a recipient of a P14 million grant Spanish multi-national engineering and architectural consulting firm “Ingeniería y Dirección de Obras y Montaje” (IDOM) and an “Australian Youth Ambassador for Development” Solid Waste Management study – clearly indicating that an area in Barangay Cabug is the most ideal site for the establishment of a Sanitary Landfill.

Up until today, the Gamboa Paper read, Purok Acacia continues to be the dumping area of Bacolod’s 400 tons daily of non-segregated mixed solid wastes, a gross violation R.A. 9003 RULE XIII that allows the City to operate an open dumpsite for only three years, a controlled dumpsite for five years and beyond these period, the City Government of Bacolod is required to develop a Solid Waste Management Plan (SWMP), including the establishment of materials recovery facilities (MRF) and sanitary landfills.

Currently, after conducting inspections, the Paper detailed violations of R.A. 9003 that resulted into hazardous and deadly damages that includes dumping of infectious medical wastes; the non-compliance to standard Leachate Pond right now is continuously leaking and spilling leachate into the nearby Cabura Creek that leads to the rivers of Murcia and Bago causing death to sugar crops, farm animals, fishes, despite complaints received.

Likewise, the Paper read, that even the minimum requirements of R.A. 9003 has not been complied with, among these are:
The negligence of the City Government to cover and apply daily at least 6 inches thick of inert materials or soil to dumped wastes at the end of each working day.

No drainage and runoff control system thus causing storm water to come in contact with waste water and the discharge of sediments into the receiving body of water is not controlled.

No provision for aerobic and anaerobic decomposition to control odor. – no odor control spraying activity is applied either – thus the constant complaint by the barangay residents.

No security and littering fences to prevent illegal entries, trespassing, animal entries and daily picking of litters. Animals include but not limited to adult domesticated or feral animals such as dogs, cats, cattle, pigs, carabao’s and horses.

All weather access roads are not maintained despite availability of funds from the City Government.

Waste picking and trading by informal waste settlers are allowed thus daily covering cannot be applied.

Waste segregation at the source is not implemented thus mixed solid waste in the area are building up to almost 60 feet high.

No trucking washing activity at all, reason for smelly foul odor of garbage trucks and spilling muds along barangay roads as complained by the local barangay residents.

Cell 2 was designed for 3 to 5 years with the garbage volume capacity for receiving 20% of residual waste daily. Due to mismanagement of the City Government and the contractor’s failure to implement segregation, Cell capacity is shortened. It is now full and overflowing.*