Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Bulacan looking for effective flood control and waste management


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.”