BAGUIO CITY – The final results of the pre-feasibility study undertaken by the Cities Development Initiative Asia (CDIA) on the sewer treatment plant (STP) at South Sanitary Camp are up by February, city environment and parks management officer Cordelia Lacsamana revealed last week.
Lacsamana said that along with the results, they expect the project proponents to also deliver the master plans for urban drainage and for sewerage and septage.
The said plans which were based on the study and the inputs of the city government would serve as the localized version of the National Sewerage and Septage Management Program.
The study was conducted to determine ways to rehabilitate and expand the STP which was built in 1986 and has been operating beyond its rated capacity of 8,600 cubic meters since 2011.
Mayor Mauricio Domogan said the results will aid the city in applying for funding assistance from local and foreign sources for the expansion of the facility as a priority infrastructure project of the city.
Initial report from the CDIA pointed to the need to prioritize the construction of a waste water treatment facility especially for the city-managed abattoir and wet market.
It also recommended expansion to accommodate the informal settlement communities who have expressed willingness to pay for the service and households not currently served by the STP due to hilly terrain challenges.
The consultants also presented the city’s vulnerabilities in terms of rain-induced landslides which can have potential impacts on existing sewerage and drainage systems including sewage contaminated floodwaters during heavy rains and extreme flooding.
They however showed potential resilience strategies such as improved storm-water management, upgrading of old sewer lines and drainage system, construction of new Sanitary Treatment Plants and conversion of communal systems particularly those in flood-prone areas.
The study showed the city is facing several challenges such as development pattern contributes to congestion and limits expansion options, development has occurred outside the planning system and rain-induced landslides./A Refuerzo and P Rillorta