Dumaguete City has now a wastewater treatment plant, which was inaugurated June 20 after five months of construction.

The opening of the wastewater treatment plant apparently is in keeping with R. A. 9275, or the Clean Water Act, which was enacted in 2004. The law requires all local government units to construct sewage/septage treatment facilities.

Another wastewater plant will be constructed for the Silliman University Medical Center, said Engr. Jonas Maronilla of the plant's design consultant, NGO Bremen Overseas Research and Development Association.

Vice Mayor William Ablong, who was the project initiator, in underscoring the need for the Dumaguete project had earlier stressed, in a DAILY STAR article that "the country spends P3 billion to address health problems caused by water pollution," adding that another World Bank study reveals that 90 percent of the sewage generated in the Philippines is not disposed or treated in an environmentally acceptable manner.

The P3-million plant controls or decreases liquid or gaseous waste to meet the DENR's set standards. The plant, which aims to minimize pollution and bad odors in the boulevard area and prevent illness, meets the DENR requirements my designing a system that makes the wastewater from the market, restaurants, offices and homes pass through the treatment facility.

The process follows this sequence: the raw wastewater enters the settling tank and flows to the compartment where the pollutants are decomposed by anaerobic or beneficial bacteria. After that, the wastewater passes through organisms which again decompose pollutants, then through a planted gravel filter to reduce pathogenic germs. The final step is aeration, the vice mayor said.

Because of this, the bio-oxygen demand of the treated wastewater is reduced from 400-500 milligrams per liter to 30 milligrams per liter, which is a DENR acceptable standard.

Ablong, reiterating that the problem is of greater public concern, said pointed out that the rate at which the environment is deteriorating due to water pollution is so rapid that the government alone is not in a position to respond with sufficient measures to clean up the mess caused by pollution. "This is a problem for all of us," he said.

The United States Assistance for International Development, under its LINAW, or Local Initiatives for Affordable Wastewater project, provided technical assistance in the construction of the Dumaguete project to help the government effect the Clean Water Act. USAID has also helped six other local governments - Muntinlupa, Calbayog, Iloilo, Malaybalay, Muntinlupa, Naga, and San Fernando , La Union - in similar LINAW initiatives.

Most Dumaguete market vendors, expressed surprise that they were not informed about the project. Caredad Abellar, head of the Fruit Vendors Association, said, "It wasn't explained to us. We were just surprised when they started construction. We will just wait and see if it is effective in keeping the environment clean. That's alright as long as they do not increase the cost of our license next year."

Estrella Pira, former president of the Kapunungan sa Gamay nga Tindera sa Dumaguete, expressed dismayed that more vendors did not know about the plant but was quick in saying that if it's meant to keep the environment clean, then it's all right. "I asked the people at the park because I wanted to know what they were doing. Since the project makes the sea cleaner, it's good for everyone," she said.

Just how urgent is the need to make wastewater sanitary? USAID, in a press release, had earlier said that 12 Filipinos die everyday as a result of exposure to unsanitary wastewater.

"USAID's support to these cities is part of its commitment to help foster improved sanitation in Asia, which will have far reaching benefits on people's quality of life, health, the economy and the environment," said USAID consultant Lisa Kircher Lumbao.

The writer is a Mass Communications senior at Silliman University. She wrote the article for her Environmental Journalism class.o