Treatment plant pushed for NRA

CEBU, Philippines — A wastewater treatment plant is now eyed to rise at the North Reclamation Area.

In a press conference yesterday, Cebu City Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia announced there is a ?1-billion grant to Cebu City from Yokohama City for the building of the wastewater treatment plant which will be in partnership with the Metro Cebu Water District.

Yesterday was Garcia’s first day back in office from his two-day official leave in Yokohama, Japan, from October 22 to 25, where he attended the 13th Asian Smart Cities Conference as part of efforts towards a “Smart and Green Cebu City”. He was one of the resource speakers on the role of the ASEAN cities.

Yokohama is one of Cebu City’s longest-running sister cities.

With this plan, Garcia said that the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is also set to visit Cebu City to discuss the project more as it is still in the design phase. However, he added that they are planning to fast-track the project, highlighting the importance of wastewater treatment in the city. As this is a grant from JICA, this leaves no cost to the city’s end.

Garcia said what is happening now is that establishments dump wastewater into the sea without being treated, unless that establishment has its own sewage treatment plant (STP).

“But here in the city of Cebu, we don’t have a centralized sewerage treatment plant to treat the wastewater before it goes out to the sea,” said Garcia. He added that of the seven rivers in Cebu City, none has an existing STP before the water gets to the sea.

The acceptable volume of coliform is 400 MPN/100 mL, but all rivers in Cebu allegedly tested for 13,000,000 MPN/100 mL, which is equivalent to a septic tank.

“Can you imagine that people living by the river, use the river as their septic tank, and it flows down to the sea? That is how unacceptable that is,” said Garcia.

He said Yokohama has 11 STPs located around the city where all the wastewater of the residential houses and establishments goes in before it flows to the sea.

Aside from this, Garcia also announced that JICA will also be conducting a study of a sewage master plan for the city. He added that such normally costs ?20 to ?30 million but JICA will be doing it for free.

“But this will be finished in three years, this will not be easy as this will be very detailed. It will now be used as our guiding document for us to do our sewerage system here in Cebu,” said Garcia. (CEBU NEWS)