By Rey Anthony ChiuBohol Writer for the Philippine Information AgencyUntil the city council comes out with an ordinance making it illegal for the residents to dump their wastewater into the city storm drainage, then the P28-million storm drain becomes a useless infrastructure.
Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) District Engineer Celestino Adlaon said their problem now is how to unplug the 29 connections that tap into the multi-million drainage facility that was initially designed as a rainwater run-off conduit emptying into Tagbilaran Bay.
Engr. Adlaon hinted that unless the “illegal†connections are unplugged, the project is a “no goâ€.
Unplugging the illegal connections now become a legal question as reports have surfaced that project consultants accordingly agreed to give the green light for the taps.
Legal minds say that the contract becomes void if the drains would accommodate household and even industrial wastes, as it was initially set only as rainwater conduit to the sea.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources has accordingly issued a Certificate of Non-Coverage (CNC) to the project as designed since it would only be a rainwater run-off conduit.
However, with the illegal taps which would empty household wastewater into the drains, then, an Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) would be due instead, environmental observers have commented.
Moreover, if the drain also accommodates not just wastewater, experts said there needs to be put up a waste treatment facility so water spilled out and emptied into Tagbilaran Bay is clean water.
This late, the drainage has to have a completed out pool, which has been started from corner CPG Avenue San Jose Street of Cogon district down to the Shell depot.
The district engineer also reported about P3M worth of projects yet to be implemented to complete the drain’s outpool project before the drains can be reported complete.
The remaining projects, which would entail excavations and setting up of reinforced box culverts has been re-bid for failure of the contractors to pass the technical screening.
A failure of bid has been declared and the election ban on government infrastructure project implementation has also caused the delay, according to Adlaon.
If the city fails to come up with the ordinance, people may see another useless government infrastructure caught up in the snag of planning miscue and the influence of the city’s rich and prominent.
With the onset of the rains and the dengue threat, several city residents have complained over stagnant and un-drained rainwater in several areas along the city’s thoroughfares. (rachiu/PIA)
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