CHEERS!

SOMETHING SMELLS

Negros Daily Bulletin

By Alan Gensoli

A Happy New Year to all, but especially to those born in the Years of the Ox: 1901, 1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009. Suzanne White’s Book of Chinese Chance says this of the Ox, “When a talented Ox sets out to accomplish something, he forgets the meaning of the word “can’t’”. This Ox ambles on in the name of Solid Waste Management. 

Fecal coliform has been found to exist in waters in, around, and under the open garbage dump in Brgy. Felisa. And since the BACIWA has five production wells in the area, it is reasonable to suppose that fecal coliform has infiltrated the waters of our homes. For those who cannot afford to buy mineral water, this is water that goes into their drinking glasses. So, cheers! 

Is Felisa a safe place to build our sanitary landfill? Since our local government has been granted the “Authority to Close” by the DENR, we have to give the city the benefit of the doubt that it is committed to begin the process of safe closure and rehabilitation of the open dumpsite in Felisa. By this is meant, the open dumpsite must be revitalized with lush vegetation and clean water flowing through the river and creeks around it. But our concern about Felisa does not end there, because Felisa has been identified by our local government as the site for our sanitary landfill. The seven-hectare lot intended for this, bought by our government for P23.8 Million in July 2008, is located near the present open dump. 

This column will shed light on two issues: how badly has the open dump contaminated the waters of Felisa, and thus, how safe is Felisa as site for the sanitary landfill. To do this, Banat Baha, the TV show of the Bacolod Anti-Baha Alliance, commissioned two laboratories to test the waters in, around, and under the open dump. 

The Negros Prawn Producers Analytical and Diagnostic Laboratory has been accredited by the DENR since 1989 to test water pollution. It is, in fact, the only one in Region 6 accredited by the DENR. 

The Villanueva Clinical Laboratory is accredited by the Philippine National Standards for Drinking Water (PNSDW) to conduct potable water testing. It is one of only two physico-chemical labs in Region 6. 

The Banat Baha team sent three water samples to each of these two labs for testing: 1) EFFLUENT SAMPLE, which is garbage juice, also known as leachate or effluent; 2) CREEK SAMPLE, collected from the Cabura Creek that borders one side of the open dump; and 3) DEEP WELL SAMPLE, collected from a deep well hand pump 15 meters from the open dump. 

As sure indicators of how badly the waters have been contaminated by the open dump, we refer to all three samples. But the Deep Well Sample could further serve as reliable indicator of how safe the area is as a sanitary landfill site, because this gives us an inkling into the state of the water table underground, which is the source of the five BACIWA production wells. 

The results of the water tests also focused on the presence of fecal coliform. And what did the lab results say? Both laboratory results showed extremely high counts of fecal coliform. 

DENR Administrative Order No. 35 of 1990 provides revisions to effluent regulations. Leachate, which is juice coming directly from garbage, is an effluent. The Administrative Order sets specific standards for coliform content of effluent/leachate oozing into protected waters (potable underground water) and inland waters (rivers, creeks, etc.). Coliform count of effluent/leachate dripping into protected or potable waters must not be above 5,000/100ml water sample; in inland waters it must not be over 15,000/100ml water sample.

Meanwhile, the DENR-accredited Negros Prawn lab placed coliform count in the leachate water sample at 500,000. The leachate water sample sent to the PNSDW-accredited Villanueva lab was twice contaminated, with fecal coliform count at 1,084,333 in every 10 milliliters of water! Oh, wow! It would be suicidal to deny that this potent leachate will not trickle into the river and creeks that border the open dump, or seep into the ground water table that is the water source of deep well hand pumps and BACIWA. 

Moreover, DENR Administrative Order No. 34 of 1990 classifies fresh surface water into five categories-Class AA, A, B, C, and D-ranging from protected (potable) water to water for recreational purposes, fish propagation, industrial, and agricultural irrigation use. In all these classes, however, the coliform level allowed by the DENR is only from 50 to 5,000/100ml water sample. Meanwhile, the Villanueva lab placed total coliform colony in the creek water sample at 924,000 and 32,500 in the deep well hand pump water sample (which is supposedly potable!). 

Which takes me back to the nine-year-old boy who died on Aug. 6, 2008, after swimming in a nearby creek? His death begs investigation, especially since he did not die from drowning. The boy’s death certificate says, he died from severe dehydration secondary to acute gastroenteritis, meaning, he vomited and vomited until he was squeezed dry. 

A fecal coliform count of 924,000 in every 100 milliliters of creek water squeezed that boy dry. But I say, DENR’s failure to monitor the building and operation of the illegal open dump in Felisa murdered him. Manslaughter, at the very least. What do you think?