At Cebu City Jail: Repair of water recycling machine pushed

CEBU – The Cebu City Health department has recommended the urgent repair of the city jail’s water recycling machine to minimize the discharge of wastewater from the prison that may endanger the health of residents in nearby barangay Kalunasan.

Dr. Evelyn Villamor, chief of the City Health’s environmental, commercial and industrial services division, concurred with the findings and recommendation of her personnel who investigated the complaint about the septage waste flowing from the city jail.

Sanitary inspectors headed by Manuel Caneda inspected city jail’s vicinity including the premises of the nearby Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center after the barangay officials complained about the flowing of dirty water accompanied by foul smell.

They found out that the water recycle machine at the city jail is no longer functional and wastewater from the jail, which is occupied by more than 2,000 inmates, will just flow directly to nearby vacant areas.

Caneda recommended that there should be constant or daily disinfection and treatment of wastewater before its release to the Guadalupe River.

He also recommended that the officials of the two jails should be required to secure wastewater discharge permits from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to prevent air and water pollution in that area.

It was the members of the Cebu City Rivers Management Council who brought up the matter to the city officials because they are afraid that there might be calamities in barangay Kalunasan if the flow of septage waste continues.

Some residents in Kalunasan are afraid that the wastewater from the jails may affect their water sources.

Because the Metro Cebu Water District is unable to provide water connections to the residents of barangay Kalunasan, the barangay officials are forced to dig their own deep wells.

Other private entities also dig up deep wells in that mountain barangay and provide residents with water. — Rene U. Borromeo/BRP (THE FREEMAN)