kaban galing - front cover - galing pook

25 STA. BARBARA, ILOILO
Too Much Garbage? Build a Park
Ecological Solid Waste Management Program (2002-2012)
IN the annual nationwide competition for the cleanest and greenest
municipalities, Sta. Barbara in Iloilo jumped from 27 th spot to 8 th in 2001.
Now it is 2 nd in the district. The local chief executive loves to say that
what had been his biggest headache when he assumed office in 2000
has turned out to be his greatest achievement.
Public Market Threatens Public Health
For about two decades, residents of Sulbod Street in Sta. Barbara had
to contend with the stench of garbage dumped in a vacant lot just behind
the town’s public market. Animal offal, decomposing vegetables, plastic
and other refuse went to this 700 square meter lot everyday. Nearby
residents gagged at the unpleasant smell which often drifted all the way
to their homes. The health and well-being of some 5,000 residents and
market vendors near the dumpsite were under immediate and constant
threat from the foul odor and pollutants. Health problems like coughing
and gastroenteritis were often attributed to the trash.
Contamination of the local water supply—an artesian well providing
water for drinking and domestic use to some 200 households—was a
major cause for concern. In a larger context, the health of the 46,076
residents of Sta. Barbara, 11,519 of whom live in the town center, was
affected by the ill-effect of the growing volume of solid waste in the
municipality.
The previous administration had thought of putting up a landfill and
was able to secure a P30 million loan for this. However, residents near
the proposed landfill site resisted the idea, fearing a similar fate to that
of the Payatas tragedy, which killed a number of people living around
the dumpsite.
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