Septic tanks for residential structures in M’daue to be strictly enforced

STRICT implementation of the rule requiring residential structures to have their own septic tanks will soon be imposed in Mandaue City.

Vice Mayor Carlo Pontico Fortuna said this in a press briefing on Monday as part of the city government’s thrust to rehabilitate rivers.

Fortuna cited the city’s hosting of the 4th International River Summit where the participants signed a mandamus agreement encouraging all key sectors to work together to rehabilitate the rivers.

“It is like a mandate that all sectors concerned in the rehabilitation of the rivers will go hand in hand to come up with a certain project using the available resources,” said Fortuna.

He said that polluters of the Butuanon and Mahiga rivers would be controlled by requiring industrial and conmercial companies including piggeries to have water treatment facilities before disposing their waste water to the river or drainage based on the existing ordinance checked by Office of the Building Official.

Residential structures and those raising pigs or poultry should strictly comply with the city ordinance requiring them of septic tanks.

Fortuna said rivers could not be rehabilitated if its water quality would be bad.

He also cited the city’s rehabilitation efforts of the Butuanon river where the city government together with business leaders and international agencies embarked on a pilot project within a kilometer area of the Butuanon river.

Mayor Luigi Quisumbing in an earlier interview said that they would continue to work for the rehabilitation of Butuanon river at the Paknaan and Umapad side or the outfall of the river before moving to the upper barangays.

The outfall rehabilitation work is currently ongoing and the clearing of the three-meter easement in Barangays Paknaan, Tabok, Maguikay, Alang-Alang and other upper barangays.