DENR probes water, air quality around fire-hit Navotas dump
OBANDO, BULACAN—Personnel from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Central Luzon on Tuesday conducted an air and water quality test in the island village of Salambao in this town that was hit by hazardous smoke emitted by the adjacent Navotas sanitary landfill in Metro Manila.
Mayor Leonardo Valeda earlier asked the DENR’s Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) in the region for water sampling and air quality monitoring to ensure the health and security of residents.
At least 335 residents from 111 families in Salambao were evacuated on Saturday and taken to Obando National High School and the municipal evacuation center after the landfill emitted heavy smoke believed produced from methane gas from the burning landfill.
Protecting residents
A fire broke out in the facility on Friday night and started to disrupt the daily activities of island villagers. The landfill is less than a kilometer from the residential areas of Salambao.
Valeda said the findings from the EMB study would help decide on what measures to take to protect the health of residents.
The local government distributed more than 3,000 N95 face masks to Salambao residents who remained in their houses, including those in Binuangan, another island village.
Varying wind direction cause the smoke to also reach the villages of San Pascual, Tawiran, Paco and most parts of the town, Valeda said.
The face masks are also being distributed in boat terminals going to Obando’s island communities.
Valeda said the Navotas local government helped them in providing food supplies to the evacuees and have also pledged medical assistance if needed by the evacuees and other residents.
Reports from the Obando municipal disaster risk reduction and management office showed that the landfill was still emitting smoke as of Tuesday.
