DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 04 October) – Environment group Interfacing Development Interventions for Sustainability (IDIS) has maintained that waste-to-energy (WTE) projects will not address the problem of flooding in some highly urbanized cities (HUCs) in the country.
This after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. sought for the immediate passage of a WTE bill.
In a statement Thursday, the group said the President’s statement that WTE projects would play a critical role in flood control was “not only misleading but also dangerously simplistic.”
The group said the proposed measure would not fix the multifaceted challenges on waste management and urban flooding.
The group said it believes that “rapid urbanization” exacerbated the waste management challenges, and the proposed legislation overlooked the root causes of the problems hounding the HUCs.
It added that the proposed WTE facilities could potentially pose not only various legal and environmental concerns but also health-related ones, claiming that these facilities could emit harmful substances like dioxins and furans.
It said these substances would cause severe respiratory and cardiovascular disorders.
In a press release posted on the website of the Presidential Communications Office on Sept. 25, Marcos told the legislators during the 6th Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council meeting at Malacañang Palace that the passage of the WTE bill must be viewed with a “more urgent sense.”
He said WTE is not only for waste management but also for flood control.
House Bill 7829 or the “Waste Treatment Technology Act” was approved on third and final reading in November 2020 while the counterpart bill is pending for second reading in the Senate.
However, IDIS objected to the position of the President because it “significantly underestimates the complexity of urban flooding” and maintained it was not only clogged sewerage systems due to plastic wastes that caused it.
In Davao City, the local government is pushing for a WTE project to address the solid waste problem here.
In August 2022, the city council passed a resolution urging Marcos to provide a counterpart fund worth P3.486 billion for the WTE project here, in addition to the commitment of the Japanese government to donate 5.013-billion yen, or equivalent to P2.052 billion, to partially fund the WTE facility project.
IDIS said urban flooding is caused by various factors, including inadequate drainage systems, alteration of natural waterways, loss of wetlands due to urban development, siltation, and climate change particularly stronger typhoons, rainfall frequency, and sea-level rise.
IDIS cited, for instance, Nong Khaem district in Bangkok, Thailand and Bekasi in Indonesia, which are frequently flooded despite operating their own WTE incineration facilities.
The group added that the proposed measure would also contradict the existing Philippine Clean Air Act and the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, which emphasize the “importance of sustainable waste management practices that prioritize health and environmental protection over incineration.”
Instead of WTE projects, IDIS said it is advocating for a multi-faceted and sectoral approach in addressing flooding.
Among these are improving waste segregation and recycling; implementing nature-based solutions such as rainwater collection, permeable pavements, green spaces, preserving ponds and wetlands and other Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems; strictly implementing zoning policies by prohibiting the increase of settlements and housing developments at flood- and disaster-prone areas; and investing in modernizing and expanding drainage infrastructure for stormwater and sewerage will directly address flood control.
The group added that raising public awareness about waste management practices “can empower residents to participate actively in reducing waste and improving local environmental conditions” while partnering with civil society groups could provide innovative solutions tailored to every city’s unique challenges. (Antonio L. Colina IV/MindaNews)
