by Ramon Efren R. Lazaro
CITY OF MALOLOS
– Floods and the mounting problems on garbage disposals have made the
provincial government of Bulacan to focus on the proper technologies that could
minimize the bad effect of climate change in the province.
A technical presentation on the environmental protection and
dike (EPAD) system for flood control and waste management was made on Tuesday
to Gov. Wilhelmino Sy Alvarado and some provincial officials and environment
and risk reduction management personnel by Nelson Huerva of Starke Industries
Corp. at the official residence of the governor inside the capitol compound in
Malolos.
It has been noted that floodwater has been inundating many
parts of the province particularly during the rainy season because the river
system in the province have been clogged by enormous volumes of garbage and
water lilies.
Huerva presented their suction dredger-amphibious
excavator-EPAD system that can be used to clear the river system of its garbage
and sedimentation.
The Bulacan officials were updated on the technologies being
applied in the EPAD system that could make dikes stronger and at least 80
percent cheaper compared on concrete dikes usually being used in coastal areas
and river embankment.
EPAD-constructed dikes, Huerva explained are much stronger
and versatile compared to concrete dikes that are susceptible to scouring and
at the same time entails less cost for its construction.
With this announcement, Alvarado said that it is
recommendable that the technology be introduced to fishpond operators so that
their dikes could withstand the scouring of seawater particularly in the
coastal villages of Tibagin and Pugad in Hagonoy town, but first the technologies
must pass the standard of the country’s research center.
Huerva also explained that the said technologies are being
applied on the construction of dikes for coastal landfills in other countries
like the one that they have done to the waste transfer station in Penang , Malaysia
, their EPAD supply to Singapore
and to the 45 waste transfer stations in Shanghai
, China
Obando Mayor Orencio Gabriel explained that these are
precisely what his town need, where a sanitary landfill is being constructed by
Eco Shield Development Corp.
Raffy Tecson of Eco Shield explained that they are using the
same technology in their landfill.
Alvarado said that Eco Shield should go on a massive
information dissemination to inform the public of what modern technology can
provide to make its project safe adding that “naunahan ng masamang haka-haka
ang paggawa ng sanitary landfill sa coastal area ng Obando. Dapat malaman ng
mga tao na may tamang technolohiya para masiguradong ligtas ang nasabing
proyekto.”
