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If
the city government could start the bidding process for the
construction of a wastewater treatment plant and award the
contract within the next three months, the frequent flooding
in the city's low lying areas during heavy rains will be solved
by September this year.
City
consultant on environmental concerns Engr. Cecil Corloncito
told the Chronicle yesterday that the public's concerns on
pollution, flooding, domestic and commercial wastewater will
be solved when a water treatment plant is established.
According
to Corloncito, it is understandable that the public is putting
so much pressure on city officials to solve the drainage problem
since it is a very important concern especially for a growing
city like Tagbilaran.
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He
said the construction of a wastewater treatment plant
will take not more than 6 months from the time the project
is awarded and the contractor has mobilized its equipment
and workers.
Corloncito,
an international consultant on the environment with
clients in the Middle East, Australia and companies
here such as Nestle, SM and the Mall of Asia, recommended
to City Mayor Dan Lim and the Sangguniang Panlungsod
during its session last Monday that an immediate solution
to the flooding is setting up an equalization pond at
the drainage outfall.
He
said the entire water treatment project can be developed
by phases.
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With
the equalization pond in place, the outfall at Graham Avenue
can be opened even if the so-called "illegal drainage
connections" are not plugged.
However,
Corloncito stressed there is a need to analyze the level pollutant
strength being currently discharged at the city's drainage
network. This will be the basis of the design of the equalization
pond, he said.
NO
BLAME ON BUSINESSES
The
city environmental consultant said the public could not blame
business establishments for their connections to the city
drainage system.
Corloncito
said, the sewage and flooding problem have been existent for
a long time and the responsibility of addressing the situation
should be shared by the government, business sector and the
public.
During
a briefing with the mayor and the Sanggunian, Corloncit said
he proposed the integrated wastewater management system (IWMS).
His
basic recommendation was to establish a centralized water
treatment that could either be used before domestic and industrial
wastewater is discharged to the sea or it can also be recycled.
The
project, he said, should be treated as an investment adopting
the "polluters pay principle" - providing a tariff
system where one pays for the volume of waste being discharged
into the drainage.
Through
this scheme, each one is responsible for self regulation of
waste and preventing pollution, Corloncito explained, and
that it pays to have a clean environment.
"It
makes good business sense since nobody would want to invest
in a polluted place," he added.
This
will also encourage business establishments to construct their
own septic tanks to lessen charges on the volume of wastewater
being discharged, Corloncito said.
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