DAVAO CITY — Mindanao’s first and most modern category 4 sanitary landfill is at least 97% complete and is hoped to be operational by June this year.
Engineer Joy Espina, Davao City Environment and Natural Resources officer, said that all that is needed are good roads which would allow their compactors and garbage trucks to reach the dumpsite, at present some portions of the Magtuod road, which is the nearest access road from the city’s urban center are being repaired or needs improvement.
The 261-million-peso sanitary landfill which was started in April 2007 has already incurred negative slippage as IPM construction, the contractor of the landfill, estimated that it would be completed within 360 calendar days.
According to project manager Engineer Ed Bartolome the contractor of the landfill, regular rains in the area have prevented them from finishing their work on time.
“It rains in this nearly everyday; some of our equipment are sensitive to rain.” Bartolome said. The downpour can also make some sections of the road leading to the dumpsite impassable. According to Bartolome, there will be another 20 million pesos for a 2.5 kilometer stretch of all-weather road in Magtuod.
Meanwhile, Espina said that the new sanitary landfill has complied with the provisions of the Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, particularly on the provisions of section 40 and 41 which establishes the criteria for establishing sanitary landfills.
The site is the former New Carmen controlled dump; the project entails the development of 13.8 hectares of the site. The center of the facility is a 46-meter pit covering 3.8 hectares. It can contain 1.5 million tons of garbage. The pit was also lined with high-density polypropylene liners that will prevent the garbage from seeping underground.
There are also drainage canals and ponds will prevent seepage of waste materials to adjoining waterways.
The landfill is estimated to be filled up within 5-8 years; however the time could be doubled if a successful waste segregation program will be implemented. Currently the city diverts about 25.4 percent of its garbage into recyclables. (PIA XI)
dumpsite, Mindanao, sanitary landfill
