Navotas landfill firefighting continues

MANILA, Philippines — As Metro Manila’s air quality remains “unhealthy” due to the burning Navotas sanitary landfill, efforts to extinguish the smoldering fire continue.

Authorities are deploying more heavy equipment and soil to douse the fire that broke out at the garbage dump on April 10.

Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon said intensifying firefighting efforts is needed as smoke continues to affect nearby provinces, including Bulacan and Bataan.

Dredgers, bulldozers, dump trucks and backhoes are being used to aid personnel and cover exposed burning areas with soil, Dizon said.

With a new access road built, the delivery of equipment has improved, eliminating the need for barges and allowing continuous movement of machinery into the area.

“We continue to place soil over the hotspots beneath the piles of trash to suppress the fire,” Navotas Mayor John Rey Tiangco said.