THE Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) in Bonuan Gueset by the beach is out of place and poses a big environmental hazard to the Lingayen Gulf.

“It needs to be relocated to another site as waste water from its septic tank sometimes escapes to the sea,” said Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer Raymundo Gayo when asked during the KBP Forum if his office has acted on the repeated complaints of residents of Paras Street in Bonuan Gueset about foul-smelling waste water from the jail flowing into the sea and contributing to the sea pollution. 

He said it is an old issue that dated back to when he was Community Environment and Natural Resources Officer of Central Pangasinan adding that he already acted on it then but only palliative solution could be done— siphoning the wastes from the jail’s septic tank.

This was done, he said, with the help of the Belen Fernandez administration in Dagupan City but the problem persisted because the jail is always overcrowded with new inmates.

He noted that the BJMP already built additional septic tanks inside the jail but the capacity was never enough because of continuing increase of inmates in the facility, so the new septic tanks still do not suffice. 

The best solution, he said, is to relocate the jail to another site, adding that he is personally recommending it as the ultimate solution to the problem. 

But he admitted that this is the call of the BJMP because the relocation of an entire jail facility needs time and a lot of money, he said.

“Personally, I am for the relocation of the jail” Gayo said, adding that there might have been a mistake in constructing the jail at its present site which is only few meters away from the beach. (Leonardo Micua)

Share your Comments or Reactions

comments

Powered by Facebook Comments