MCWD lays down septic services plan for eight LGUs

The Metro Cebu Water District yesterday presented to the Cebu City Council its plan to provide septic desludging service to eight cities and municipalities in Cebu to ease water pollution.

MCWD General Manager Armando Paredes said the septage treatment plant will be installed in the city-owned lot at the North Reclamation Area (NRA). The project was introduced to the city government two years ago.

He cited that 55 Filipinos die every day because of waterborne diseases, one-third of which is due to water pollution.

The treatment facility will be put in place in two phases. Phase one will involve the construction of a treatment plant that would serve customers in Metro Cebu, namely the cities of Cebu, Mandaue and Talisay. Phase two will be the construction of a plant in Liloan town for residents of northern Cebu, such as Compostela, Consolacion and Liloan.

Another treatment plant will be built in Cordova to accommodate consumers in the town and the neighboring Lapu-Lapu City.

Paredes pointed out that the service would entail additional payment from consumers by approximately P2 per cubic meter, which will be reflected in their monthly water bill. The amount would still be discussed in a public hearing.

“There would also one time charges for those who are not consumers but desire to be desludged and pay one time basis,” he said.

As a matter of procedure, MCWD will hold a promotional campaign and bid out contracts to private desludgers and treatment plant operators with Environmental Sanitation Certificates under a joint venture agreement.

Once the Local Water Utilities Administration approves the rate, the operation and collection would then start.

Paredes said they will undertake the waste water treatment, sludging and septage collection every three to five years considering that local water districts have a mandate to improve water utilities and sources under the Presidential Decree 198.

A plant would also comply with the provisions of the Philippine Clean Water Act of 2014.

“We will also provide septage treatment and bio-solids disposals of the septage collected in the septic tanks of our consumers,” he said.

He pointed out that almost all of the septage facilities are not properly maintained and only desludged when they overflow. The wastes are also disposed of into bodies of water without proper treatment.

“This is good for the economy and easier for the businessmen, households to have automatic desludging, reduced overflow septic tanks, cleaner water, reduced dumping of untreated septage and water pollution,” he said.

MCWD will sustain the project while the city government will take part in monitoring and regulation of the sector that will undertake the project to ensure it will comply with legal requirements.

“We can more or less sustain the operation, in the sense that we have regular connection from our customers through water billings,” he told councilors, adding, that sludging would only be temporary until sewerage, which is more expensive, will be implemented.

The city will earn from regulatory permits paid by private desludgers and treatment plant operators.

Paredes said further that MCWD is willing to share part of its income if the city, through the council, passes an ordinance that would mandate desludging and provide a lot where the treatment facility would operate free of rental or acquisition cost.

“The benefit that we get out of the free use of the lot, we would also compensate the city in terms of a shared revenues,” he said.