MMDA ready to face landfill protests

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Bayani Fernando said the agency is ready to face protests from people who would oppose having a sanitary landfill in their areas.

"The ‘not in my backyard’ mentality is brought about by fear of garbage. The best thing to do is to explain to them that a sanitary landfill is not dangerous as long as it is handled properly," Fernando said in an interview last Friday.

Two years ago, he eyed Tiaong, Quezon as the site for a sanitary landfill, but his idea was met with widespread protests from residents and local officials.

Since dropping the proposed Quezon landfill, Fernando said the MMDA continues to receive "offers" from several local government units (LGUs) to host the landfill.

Without identifying the LGUs, the MMDA chief said some of them are not viable because of their distance from the metropolis.

He said the landfill should be at least within a 150 kilometer radius from Metro Manila and should be accessible by train. Fernando wants the garbage hauled by rail.

Fernando said a sanitary landfill could even generate jobs and industries for a locality.

"The opportunities will depend on how the people will view garbage," he said.

Fernando recently admitted that Metro Manila could face a garbage crisis in two to three years without a sanitary landfill. The metropolis generates an average of 6,000 metric tons of garbage daily. Annually, 21,000 metric tons of garbage are recovered from waterways and drainage systems.

Fernando said the sanitary landfill, which takes a year to build, should be finished before 2007. He added that the total project cost could amount to half a billion pesos.

The MMDA said dumps in Rodriguez, Rizal, Navotas, Payatas in Quezon City, and in Clark Field, Pampanga, which host Metro Manila’s garbage, are only good for another two years. – Nikko Dizon