Despite the difficulty of implementation due to the ongoing pandemic, sewer line projects in Baguio City are being fasttracked as per the request of the city council.
City Environment Parks and Management Office head Rhenan Diwas said they have completed four out of six sewer line projects while two others are up for bidding.
He said seven sewer line projects are already obligated from the P35 million earmarked for such activities this year.
“More projects will follow and be submitted for bidding,” Diwas said during the regular flag raising ceremony Monday.
He said Cepmo and the City Planning and Development Office have maintained close coordination with the Asian Development Bank and provided all possible data and technical assistance on the city’s existing sewerage system.
Consultants visited the city, July 13 to 17, to start a full-blown feasibility study as the first step towards rehabilitating and expanding Baguio’s sewerage and septage system, Diwas added.
“Apart from this, we continue to cooperate with other foreign and local consultants with the goal of getting a possible grant from foreign governments willing to undertake the improvement of our sewerage system,” he said.
The city has also forged partnership with a Japanese firm to install an “ecology toilet” for six months as proof of concept at Burnham Park aimed at being adopted in all public comfort rooms of the city.
“Baguio City will be the first to use this kind of technology outside Japan. The ecology toilet will use multiple fermentation technology using microorganism that acts on the treatment of wastewater with no odor or sludge as the wastewater is recycled and used for flushing and watering plants,” Diwas said.
Cepmo has continued eliminating local hog-raising activities with 361 out of the 448 inventoried hog raisers have already ceased their operations.
“These heavily contribute in polluting our river system. At the onslaught of the pandemic, more and more hog raisers are stopping their operations,” he said.
Diwas added 100 percent inventory of illegal structures along the Sagudin-Balili River easement was accomplished by his office in coordination with City Buildings and Architecture Office and City Engineering Office.
“Notices of violations were delivered to 613 structures. The matter is now elevated to the city’s Anti-Illegal Structures Committee for deliberation in compliance with due process,” he said. – Gaby B. Keith
April 27, 2024
