DENR asked to close Felisa dumpsite
BACOLOD CITY – Two complainants have asked Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Lito Atienza to close the city's dumpsite in Brgy. Felisa.
Complainants Sarah Teresa Esguerra and Othello Ramos are also among those who opposed the city's acquisition of a P23 million worth property in the same barangay to be turned into a new dumpsite.
The two alleged in their letter complaint that Mayor Evelio Leonardia has announced before the mass media that they will stop the use of the shallow landfill for solid waste disposal effective September 1, 2008, in compliance with the laws governing solid waste management.
They claimed that "they accompanied the DENR representative who conducted inspection on the area in question, but on the following day and until this time, dumping of solid waste still continued unabated."
Complainants further allege that the public officials of Bacolod City merely paid a "lip service" to the DENR and lied to the people of Bacolod City, without due regards to the irreversible danger to the lives of countless people.
They also questioned the establishment of said dumpsite because "right at the lower portion of the dumpsite are six stations of Water Pump Facilities that supply potable water to Barangay Tangub, Sum-ag, Punta Taytay, Cabut and at the outskirts of Barangay Mansilingan."
They said that the danger of water contamination is very much in evidence considering that the BACIWA Water Pump Facilities and numerous deep wells are situated at the lower portion of Barangay Felisa and the danger of chemical and bacteria seepage that may ooze or percolate into the underground water downstream cannot be discounted.
"We cannot wait for this malady to happen, for we too and our families are dependent upon our drinking water from the same source" they said.