Why does Kalunasan smell bad?
Officials of 2 jail facilities in Kalunasan deny causing smell that bothers residents
THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) 7 has started collecting water samples from the Langub Shrine Creek in Barangay Guadalupe to determine if human waste is being dumped there.
But officials of DENR 7’s Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) cannot conclude if the smell coming from the creek came from Cebu’s provincial and city jails.
The samples collected from the creek will be submitted for tests to determine the presence of organisms and bio-chemical oxygen, said Frances Dolly Guillen, head of EMB 7’s air and water monitoring section.
Guillen said that aside from collecting water samples, they also inspected the area to locate the source of the smell.
Guillen said that when they arrived in the area, she and other inspectors from EMB 7 immediately smelled feces and urine coming from the creek.
She said they couldn’t say yet where the smell came from, although some residents said the smell came from the Cebu City Jail and the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC).
Guillen said that aside from CPDRC and the Cebu City Jail, some houses in the area also situated near the creek.
She said they want to know if the smell could have come from any of those houses with no proper toilets.
They also plan to inspect the septic tanks of CPDRC and the Cebu City Jail if these are not leaking.
She said the EMB 7 plans to meet with officials from the barangay and the jail to discuss the issue.
But Cebu Provincial Gov. Hilario Davide III denied the smell came from CPDRC.
“Kinsay niingon nga gikan sa CPDRC (Who said that)? We already had it cleaned,” Davide told reporters yesterday.
He said the City Jail is beside CPDRC and is also located in the upper portion of Kalunasan Creek, and there are also houses in the area. “Atong i-pa check na kung asa gikan na (We will look into it),” Davide said.
The Cebu City Jail warden also urged Kalunasan barangay officials to visit and check if the smell originates from their facility.
No leak
Jail Warden Supt. Jessie Calumpang said there was no leak in their septic tank and if there was one, he would not hesitate to admi it.
“I want them to come up here and check for themselves,” he told .
Calumpang said he is collecting funds for a Japanese technology that can turn human waste into odorless water that can be released to the sea.
“It’s costly but the water that will be released will not be contaminated),” he said.