Housing project may pollute
La Mesa water - Congress probe

The proposed 58-hectare housing project for retired government waterworks employees falls within a critical area of the La Mesa Watershed in Quezon City and could contaminate the reservoir, Senator Pia Cayetano said on Monday. "The threat of contamination is a distinct possibility," said Cayetano. A wastewater treatment plant, even if it were constructed in the area to prevent contamination of the reservoir, would be too costly, requiring a minimum capital cost of P46 million and an annual operating cost of P17 million. These points were established at a joint hearing on the La Mesa housing controversy conducted by the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources and the Joint Congressional Oversight Committee on the Clean Water Act. Director Virgilio Basa of the National Mapping and Resources Information Authority (NAMRIA) told the joint panel that the proposed housing project lies within the rim of the La Mesa reservoir. The administration of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewarage System (MWSS), which proposed teh project for its retired employees, likewise admitted this claim. The construction of a wastewater treatment plant was among the proposals submitted to the MWSS by a 2004 environmental impact study done by National Hydraulic Research Center at the University of the Philippines. The proposed facility would collect wastewater from the houses using leak-free and impermeable sewage pipes to prevent these from seeping to the reservoir. The treated water will then be discharged to drainage outfalls in neighboring villages outside the watershed. "And so the problem remains: Who will shoulder the cost?" Cayetano asked. She said the government cannot afford to put La Mesa at risk as a World Bank study shows that 58% of the country's groundwater source is already contaminated with coliform bacteria. She also pointed out that 31% of illnesses among Filipinos are caused by water-borne bacteria. A joint committee report said: "While the committee recognizes the right of the employees to the housing project which has been deprived from them for decades, including the fact that this is titled land and there are property rights involved, this should be considered along with the interest of Metro Manila residents who depend on La Mesa for potable water. Sustainable development dictates that there should be a balance between social progress and environmental protection and we urge all parties to work together for a viable solution."-GMANews.TV