CENRO probes extent of pollution caused by BJMP facility
THE Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) in Dagupan City vowed it will continue to investigate and initiate action on the complaint of residents of Bonuan Gueset in Dagupan City on the continued flow of untreated sewage water from the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology’s (BJMP) Dagupan District Jail to the Lingayen Gulf, emitting stench of human wastes permeating the air around the Tondaligan Park.
Raymundo Gayo, CENRO officer, said he has referred the problem of the BJMP to the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) two weeks ago and he is still awaiting a recommended course of action.
He said he thought the problem was already attended to but one of the affected residents, Rod Ibasan, asked The PUNCH to again make the unresolved and worsening problem public.
“I am looking into this myself because there are residents still complaining,” said Gayo, adding that he recalled that the problem was temporarily resolved when BJMP hired a private company to siphon the wastes from septic tanks of the District Jail “but that was only done once.”
Gayo said that since number of inmates of the BJMP have never decreased but increased over the years, their wastes naturally increase beyond the capacity of the facility’s septic tank.
“Siphoning of its septic tanks must be done regularly and not just once a year or once in two years,” he said.
But siphoning is only a temporary solution, he said, adding that the permanent solution is to transfer the BJMP to an area far from the sea.
Gayo said he also already discussed the problem with Mayor Belen Fernandez two weeks ago in the hope that the city government could help provide a solution.
“We will eventually have to call a meeting of all agencies concerned to arrive at a solution to this serious problem”, said Gayo.
Meanwhile, Councilor Jesus Canto, chairman on health of the city council, said he will also initiate an investigation on the problem and determine the extent of the effect of the pollution on the residents along Paras St. in Bonuan Gueset. (Leonardo Micua)
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