Consultant: Seek help from sectors

CEBU, Philippines - An outgoing consultant for environmental and sustainability in Talisay City has recommended that the city government forge ties with different sectors to be able to respond effectively to the needs of the community.

“Talisay City needs a multi-stakeholder approach to effectively follow the path of sustainability and to disperse the cost of leading the city to respond to the needs of its community and future constituents,” read Vince Cinches’ report.

Cinches, whose link with the city ends this month, said that although the city is doing its efforts for the preservation of its natural resources, it can not do it alone.

Therefore, grassroots communities, business, religions organizations, the academe, and all else concerned “should be tapped and mobilized to meet goals of Talisay City, being a sustainable aqua city.”

In his environmental report, Cinches has recommended that the city enhance its partnership with civil society organizations “to effectively pursue” the Solid Waste Management Law, and put in place treatment facilities in identified establishments owned by the city.

“Effective Solid Waste Management will insure that problems of sanitation, environmental integrity, urban center flooding will be mitigated, making sure that funds intended for social services will be maximized instead of being redirected to flooding and other impacts brought by poor solid waste management in the city,” he said.

With the city’s airshed, he recommends that to come up with current data on its air quality, and other air management mechanisms, an airshed governing board should be in place.

He said presently, the city relies on data from the office of the Environmental Management Bureau, yet the agency does not include the city as one of the locations to station their monitoring equipment.

“It is important that contributions to air pollution in the city should be dealt with to ensure that our contribution to global warning can be reduced as the city develops sustainably,” he said.

He also added that the city can come up with new mechanisms to discourage pollutions through taxes, information and education campaigns, among others.

As to the city water resources, he noticed that its utilization goes to the Metropolitan Cebu Water District, while leaving the city no controlling power and other Incentives. Hence, he suggested that the city constitutes and convenes the City Water Resources Management Board to effectively manage water resources.

He also recommends that the city “actively intervene in activities along the riverbank such as household  and commercial discharges,” and develop a septage ordinance.

“The city should exercise its authority in sustainably utilizing its resources including all the benefits within the management to benefit the current  and future  needs of the city,” he said.

For Talisay’s coastal ecosystem, Cinches said that the city is one of the old destination in Cebu  when it comes to beach and seafood, however this has been on a decline for the past years.

He said that factors contributing to it “can be directly attributed to unplanned utilization of our resources and unregulated activities within various coastal communities.”

Hence, he recommends that the city’s  Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Council (FARM-C) convenes to address this problem, and there should be an inventory of  activities within the coastal communities in Talisay.

“Talisay’s upland and urban activities, and other activities in neighboring cities and municipalities have affected the productivity of its resources, including its ecosystem. (THE FREEMAN)