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THE looming health hazards caused by the long overdue open dumpsite at Upper Dagong in Barangay Carmen this city alarmed members of the Solid Waste Management Board (SWMB) and City Health Office along with its high environmental risks of the people living and passing by the site.
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Carmen Open Dumpsite
This was declared in a press conference and actual ocular visit of the SWMB, city health personnel, City Local Environment and Natural Resources Office (Clenro), Carmen Barangay Council and city hall officials including members of the local media on Tuesday, February 3 at the dumpsite.
Edwin Dael, Clenro officer in charge, said the alarming level of methane gas and other hazardous chemical emissions has reached critical level already thus the need for the current dumpsite to be closed and rehabilitated.
The gas emissions, Dael said would result to fire after three weeks of no rain.
Dr. Fe Bongcas, city health officer, said with the high level of infectious chemical emissions they are almost to declare health emergency due to increase number of health related issues and the fast transmission of diseases.
Bongcas said kidney infections, lung-related disease, cancer and bone-marrow diseases are just among the many health problems being diagnosed by the Barangay Health Center and the city health office.
“The open dumpsite does not only affect residents living in the area or those passing by but entire city will soon be affected,” Bongcas added.
Closure
According to Dael, the city already received since 2003 an order mandating for it to be a controlled dumpsite and in 2006 as sanitary landfill based on Republic Act 9003 otherwise known as the Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.
Based on data gathered by Clenro and Island Kids Philippines Foundation, a non-government organization helping children living in the area, toxic materials such as metal plating from used batteries, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulfur oxide, mercury, pesticide are some of the causes of cancer, bone-marrow diseases and kidney failures. (City Information Office)
