NextGen Day

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) expressed its readiness to support Baguio City in tackling the issue of river-water pollution by implementing modern septic tanks, according to an official from the agency on Wednesday.

“JICA is prepared to extend assistance. We need to take action and not delay the wastewater cleanup,” said JICA-Philippine Representative Takema Sakamoto.

JICA, in collaboration with FujiClean, a Japanese manufacturer of Onsite wastewater treatment systems that can prevent the discharge of polluted water and coliform bacteria into creeks and waterways, conducted a workshop on wastewater treatment systems. The workshop aimed to enhance understanding of the technology and was carried out in cooperation with the City Environment and Parks Management Office (CEPMO).

Sakamoto emphasized that although the technology was originally designed for Japan, it can be adapted to suit the Philippine context. “There is flexibility for adjustment based on localized needs,” he added.

Baguio City, known as the headwater of the Bued and Balili Rivers that flow through Benguet and La Union provinces, was identified as a potential site for program implementation.

The JICA official urged the Environment Management Bureau (EMB) and the city government to consider clustering residential houses in impoverished communities and providing them with clustered modern septic tanks. This approach proves more cost-effective than installing individual modern septic treatment systems.

“We cannot assist individual households, but we can offer support to clustered beneficiaries,” he explained.

The clustered septic tanks, measuring 2 x 2 x 2.5 meters each, cost approximately P200,000 to P300,000 and can serve 15 to 20 houses.

Sakamoto also proposed the idea of imposing environmental and water fees on residents to fund the installation of onsite treatment facilities in households.

According to FujiClean, their wastewater treatment system includes components that clean and dissolve sludge, producing clean water that can either be absorbed into the ground or used for irrigation.

Several popular fast-food chains in Regions 1, 2, and 3 are currently utilizing this technology to manage food waste and reduce water pollution, the company highlighted.

During the program, Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong emphasized the urgency of the situation, stating, “We are fortunate that we haven’t been officially charged; otherwise, we would be paying millions in environmental fees. We can’t keep postponing action on this matter.”

Magalong shared that he had conducted laboratory analysis of the water in the two rivers and discovered that they were more polluted than the Pasig River in Metro Manila.

In the 1980s, JICA supported the construction of a sewerage treatment plant and a 57-kilometer pipeline servicing around 10,000 households and establishments. However, with the city’s population now at 320,000 and an estimated 1.5 million tourists in 2019, the existing facility can no longer cope with the demand for wastewater treatment, posing risks to the city’s water resources, Magalong noted.

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