Kalunasan jails OK move to stop creek pollution

CPDRC human wastes (CDN PHOTO/TONEE DESPOJO)

THE foul smell in Langub Creek in Barangay Kalunasan may soon be gone.

This will happen if the officials of the Cebu City Jail and the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC) will stick to their commitment not to discharge their waste water at the creek.

The representatives of both jails met with officials of Cebu City government and Environmental Management Bureau in Central Visayas (EMB-7) last week to find a solution to the mountain barangay’s problem.

Francisco “Bimbo” Fernandez, executive assistant of Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña, said that on the part of the city, they have already declogged the septic tanks in the city jail as a temporary measure.

As a long-term solution, he said the city is planning to hire again the services of Mactan Rock Industries, Inc. in order to treat the wastes of the Cebu City Jail.

“The city hired Mactan Rock before. But it was stopped because eventually the city was not able to pay them. So now, we’re trying to find out what happened and why they were not paid,” he said.

Fernandez said that they found out that the city still owes Mactan Rock around P700,000.

While this is still being worked out, Fernandez assured that the city will continue to regularly declog the waste in the city jail’s septic tanks.

These were brought to the city’s Septage Treatment Plant (STP) in the North Reclamation Area.

“They will contain the wastewater for the meantime inside the drums until such time they can find a private contractor which can transport and treat their wastewater,” said lawyer Unalee Monares, the chief legal officer of EMB-7, after their technical conference last Jan. 17.

EMB-7 recommended that both facilities should hire an accredited private contractor to transport and treat their wastewater.

“We are also recommending to the CPDRC to also hire a private contractor or the Mactan Rock Inc. but they also need to consider if there is a budget,” he said.

For the CPDRC, Fernandez said they would also meet separately with provincial officials on the issue.

He said the city is willing to temporarily help the CPDRC by declogging their septic tanks as well and bringing the wastes to the STP, which will eventually be under the possession and management of the province since this is part of the city properties to be swapped to the 93-1 lots owned by the province.