BY EUGENE Y.ADIONG
SAN CARLOS City – A top official of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Western Visayas said “barging” of wastewater is legal even without the approval of the governor or the mayor.
The department can issue a permit for the dumping of waste into designated areas at sea even without the approval of the local government, stressed Dr. Samson Guillergan, chief of the Environment Monitoring and Enforcement Unit of DENR Region 6’s Environment Management Bureau (EMB).
He issued the clarification following the suspension of the barging of San Carlos Bioenergy, Inc.’s (SCBI) wastewater because Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr. opposed it citing air and water pollution concerns.
SCBI operates a bio-ethanol plant in the city.
Barging is a temporary stop gap measure of SCBI while it is dealing with air pollution problems, stressed Guillergan at the meeting here called by the Sanggunian Panlungsod’s Committee on Environmental Protection and Natural Resources.
He said SCBI is still installing additional anaerobic digesters to control the foul odor emanating from the leased ponds where its wastewater is collected.
SCBI previously submitted a list of short- and long-term measures to prevent the re-occurrence of foul odor and water pollution.
Engr. Jaymar Relota, SCBI environment management head and concurrent pollution control officer, submitted the following plan:
- Short-term – clean-up and rehabilitation of canals; barging of waste water if a permit can be secured; and increase the dosage of enzymes to mitigate the odor.
- Long-term – construction of a wastewater recycling plant by December 2014; construction of a biogas plant by July 2015; improve fertilization; continue leasing the 40-hectare pond of Cong. Julio Ledesma IV for use as polishing pond.
Councilor Rommel Debulgado, committee chair, said his committee will endorse the barging.
“I hope the governor changes his position. Barging has legal basis as established in the meeting with DENR,” he said.
The meeting was also attended by Vice Mayor Edgardo Quisumbing and Bishop Gerardo Alminaza of the Diocese of San Carlos, and representatives of the Philippine Coast Guard and SCBI./PN
