Obando wants calamity state amid dump fire
OBANDO, BULACAN—Local officials are studying the declaration of a state of calamity after smoke from a burning landfill in nearby city of Navotas in Metro Manila reached several communities.
A fire broke out at the landfill, located in a section of Barangay Tanza in Navotas, on April 10 and the blaze had already been contained. But smoke continuously emits from the abandoned landfill, which used to be the dumping ground of solid waste from Metro Manila.
Mayor Leonardo Valeda said the rains on Sunday night failed to douse the pockets of fire and stop the smoke from the facility.
“It has been more than two weeks now and the emission of smoke, which is believed to be hazardous to health, continues to affect our people. That is why we are inclined to declare a state of calamity to allow us to implement necessary contingency measures for the health, safety and security of the people,” Valeda told the Inquirer.
The declaration of a state of calamity will enable local officials to pool resources to purchase more face masks and improve health, safety and security measures.
Valeda said national government agencies like the Department of Health (DOH), the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp., the city government of Navotas, the provincial government of Bulacan and private companies have provided support and assistance.
But still, the Obando government has to act more for the health and protection of the residents, he added.
The landfill is less than a kilometer from Obando’s Salambao and Binuangan villages.
Evacuation
Since April 11, around 350 residents from 111 families in Salambao, who live closest to the burning facility, had been evacuated to ensure their safety. They are now staying at Obando National High School.
One of the evacuees, who was reported to be suffering from a medical condition, had died last week, believed to be caused by inhalation of the hazardous smoke.
Those who remained in their houses had been advised to religiously put on face masks to lessen the risk of adverse effect from the smoke.
According to Valeda, residents in nine other villages of the town also need basic health protection, such as N95 face masks as the smoke reaches their homes at a given time of the day.
To determine the health and environmental impact of the incident, the DOH had conducted blood tests among residents in Salambao and Binuangan while the Department of Environment and Natural Resources started air and water quality monitoring in the vicinity of these villages.
Valeda, however, said the local government had yet to be furnished results of the tests and monitoring.
Fire Officer 1 Robin Credo of the Navotas Fire Station told the Inquirer that the fire was contained in the past several days but firefighting continues in a bid to completely put off the blaze.
Credo confirmed that as of Wednesday, the landfill site was still emitting smoke.
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