CAPAS, Tarlac – Kakasuhan ng lokal na pamahalaan ng Capas, Tarlac ang Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) at Clark Development Corporation (CDC) kapag tuluyan nitong ipinasara ang Kalangitan Sanitary Landfill sa Oktubre, kung walang “alternative” waste facility na ipapalit.

Ayon kay Capas Mayor Roseller B. Rodriguez, mapipilitan silang magsampa ng kaso laban sa BCDA at CDC, na una nang nagpasabi na itutuloy ang pagpapatigil sa operasyon ng 100-hectare waste facility na pinakikinabangan ng mahigit 120 LGUs sa Central Luzon gayundin sa ilang parte ng Pangasinan at Benguet.

“We are contemplating to file a case, if we find sufficient legal basis, and seek the issuance of a Writ of Kalikasan because the closure of the landfill may cause disaster in our waste management and there are no clear guidelines on how the area will be decommissioned as a landfill,” wika ni Mayor Rodriguez.

Si Rodriguez, kasama ang Capas Sangguniang Bayan (SB), ay nakikiusap sa BCDA at CDC na palawigin pa ang paggamit sa Kalangitan Sanitary Landfill dahil tiyak na magkakaroon ng problema sa waste management hindi lamang sa bayan ng Capas kundi maging sa buong Central Luzon at parte ng Northern Luzon regions, sakaling ipasara ito.

“There is not a single sanitary landfill that is compliant and could accommodate the daily waste disposal of both regions. It will definitely take years before such a facility could efficiently accommodate such huge tonnage and volume of daily wastes”, ayon sa alkalde.

Aniya pa, “The collateral effect of this irresponsible and disjointed plan of BCDA is we will be losing revenue amounting to more or less 25M a year in terms of taxes and internal revenue allotments derived from the operations of the landfill including savings in waste management disposal expenses”.

Noong Mayo 20, sa ginanap na hearing sa Sangguniang Bayan, ang BCDA sa ipinadala nitong representante na si Daryll Garcia, nabatid na walang malinaw na alternatibo sa impending closure ng Kalangitan Sanitary Landfill.

Nauna rito, mahigit sa 122 LGUs sa Central Luzon partikular na sa Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac, Zambales, at Pangasinan, at Benguet, ang nagsabi na ang pagpapasara ng Kalangitan Sanitary Landfill na nasa ilalim ng operasyon ng Metro Clark Waste Management Corporation (MCWMC), ay sigurado umanong magdudulot ng “severe environmental, health and crisis.”

Ang MCWMC’s engineered sanitary landfill sa Kalangitan ay kasalukuyan pinaglilingkuran ang nasa 160 local government units (cities and municipalities) sa Central Luzon kabilang na ang key cities at provinces ng Northern Luzon.

“Millions of residents in both of these regions who currently benefit from the presence of an engineered waste disposal facility that they can call their own—will soon face a widespread garbage crisis that would quickly result in sanitation and health problems including environmental issues,” ayon sa mga LGUs. (ELOISA SILVERIO)