MCIA's sewage treatment system eyed also for NAIA

CEBU, Philippines - President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo yesterday said the Mactan Cebu International Airport Sewage Treatment Plant should serve as a model for similar facilities and should be replicated at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

Impressed by the efficient performance of the MCIA water treatment plant, Arroyo instructed Presidential Adviser on Climate Change Heherson Alvarez to get the ball rolling on a similar water treatment facility at the NAIA.

She also directed Alvarez to inspect the NAIA wastewater or sewage treatment plant and find out if NAIA authorities are strictly complying with the provisions of Executive Order No. 774 that she issued last year.

“You have to check on NAIA’s waste water treatment plant and check if their sewage plant is similar to what the MCIA has,” Arroyo told Alvarez. She added that all government agencies are expected to do their part in protecting the environment.

     After treatment at the STP, MCIA’s domestic wastewater is flushed to the Magellan Bay. This is done without any harmful effect on the environment.

Wastewater from the Cebu airport building flows into the pump station and from there is transferred to an inlet chamber then to an oxidation ditch.

An oxidation ditch and four units of surface aerators are used to provide sufficient oxygen for the biological process and sufficient horizontal velocity to the liquid to prevent solids from settling in the aeration channels.

Bioflocs, a system for reducing water contamination, settle in the final sedimentation tank to return sludge and will return to the oxidation pump. From there, excess sludge is transferred to sludge thickener and clarifier water flows to disinfection tanks. — Jasmin R. Uy/BRP   (THE FREEMAN)