While the DENR has already given Manila Mayor Lito Atienza the green light to proceed with the clean-up and rehabilitation project, DENR Secretary Elisea Gozun stressed that it is equally important to institute measures that will ensure the flow of water in the two-hectare area within the existing seven-hectare disposal site.
The site is a reclaimed land owned by the National Housing Authority (NHA).
Gozun stressed that there should be grading of the surface of the "temporary disposal cell" to allow the flow of the surface run off and control the percolation of contaminated water.
In her letter to Atienza, Gozun emphasized the need for close monitoring of the project.
The rehabilitation effort aims to rid Pier 18 of about 350,000 cubic meters of trash from various sectors: Domestic, commercial and business establishments.
At present, there is an estimated 500,000 cubic meters of solid wastes already deposited in the site coming from various service areas in Manila.
The city contributes a lot to the approximately six million tons of garbage generated daily in the Metropolitan Manila area. A total of 1,200 tons of wastes from Pier 18 is extracted daily for transfer to the controlled dumpsites in Navotas and Montalban.
National Solid Waste Commission (NSWC) Executive Director Albert Magalang said compost material would be transported to BASECO Compound in Tondo, Manila as filling materials for the reclamation area.