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2.4.6.5
Urban Environment
Air
The over-all air
ambient level of the City is generally poor. As of
September 1997, the Total Suspended Particulate
(TSP) Concentration equaled an average of almost
800 ug/Nm
as measured by the Environmental Management and
Protected Area Sector (EMPAS) of the Department of
Environment and Natural Resources, Region IX did
not pass the National Ambient Air Quality
Standards (NAAQS) of 300 micrograms per normal
cubic meter (ug/Nm).
The test for TSP was
done in the City proper specifically on the
following sampling locations: a) Police pcst at
Tetuan Highway corner Tumaga Road; b) Jasmin
Building, Buenavista St. corner Cancelar Road; and
c) Don P. Lerenso St., near City Hall.
These are basically
attributed to continuous and uncontrolled emission
coming form the motor vehicles, and other existing
major factory in the City. Data on sulfur dioxide
(SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) concentrations are
not available due to unavailabiliuty of an air
quality testing equipment.
Water
As of the second
quarter of 1997, the condition of the major river
systems including some of its tributaries are
generally inferior. The DENR-EMPAS/Region IX
revealed that the rivers of Manicahan, Cabaulay &
Mercedes did not meet the DENR effluent/water
quality standards as provided in the DENR
Administrative Order Nos. 34 &35
The value for Total
Suspended Solids (TSS) is high, while the value
for Biochemical Oxygen Demad (BOD) is fast
approaching the alarming stage especially in the
urban area. The parameters mentioned are
indicators for the pollution index of a water
body. The BOD value for instance, in high
concentration would mean that Coliform Organisms
are high as well; these organisms will have
detrimental effects on the health of the
community.
In addition, it
was noted that most of the beaches in the City did
not pass the DENR effluent/water quality
standards. On the other hand, other parameters
such as dissolve oxygen (DO), pH and temperature
passed the standards set by the DENR.
Solid Waste
Management
One of the more
serious problems that the country and not only
Zamboanga City is encountering today is pollution
due to the improper handling and disposal of solid
wastes. This problem occurs not only in urban
areas where population density is high and human
activities are continuous and intense but it is
also felt in the regional and rural areas. Large
percentage of these solid wastes normally comes
from domestic sources and the rest come from
industries. Not all solid waste generated are
collected and properly disposed, only about 70% to
80% are collected and the balance is either left
on the streets, dumped into storm drains, esteros,
canals. Creeks and rivers. Others are burned,
thereby creating air pollution, or recycled by
scavengers. Residential wastes, which is about 505
of the total waste generated, constituted the
single largest source of solid wastes.
Solid Waste
Generation
It is estimated
that around 350 to 450 cubic meters per day (m/day)
of solid wastes are generated by the City, out of
this generated solid wastes; around 70% to 72% are
collected every day. (Source: ZC Public Service
Office)
Solid Waste
Collection and Disposal
Based on the
statistical record of ZC Public Service Office
from October 1996 to January 1997, garbage
collected and disposed of per month by the City
Public Services averaged 8662 cubic meters while
that of the Private is equal to 12,654 cubic
meters. It is noticeable that the increasing
amount of garbage collected every month indicates
that waste generation has correspondingly
increased.
Status of the
Existing Dumpsite
In 1995, the City
has identified its temporary dumpsite,
which is located at Barangay Lumbangan and is
about 10 kilometers from the City proper. The
area, which is approximately 4.4 hectares, is
located in a ravine.
During the recent
inspection of the said dumpsite in October 1997,
the Barangay Chairman disclosed that the area is
the lone dumpsite in Zamboanga City. The fear of
the community living in proximity to the area is
the strong possibility of ground water
contamination due to high infiltration rate of
leachate as revealed by the results conducted by
the Bureau of Soils in the Region. The alarming
level of groundwater contamination is quite
noticeable as revealed by the Barangay Chairman
since there is an increase of Diarrhea and
Gastro-Intestinal cases among the local residents
of Barangay Lumbangan and nearby barangay since
large percentage of their drinking water sources
are coming from deep well.
Although, the area is
suitable for its purpose based from the initial
inspection conducted, the area must undergo a full
blown Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) if
condition warrants, to determine the suitability
of the current dumpsite to a more viable and
modern final disposal site, say a sanitary
landfill. For this reason, the assessment of the
dumpsite must be on a sustainable development in
order to maximize its potential uses, meaning,
The current and
future solid waste generation of the City could be
handled by the said dumpsite without causing
imbalance in the overall ecosystem of the area.
The Office of the Department of Environment &
Natural Resources (DENR) could expound guidelines
on this aspect in detail. For the moment, the City
government is advised to do the following
recommended actions to their present dumpsite in
Brgy. Luimbangan: 1) improvement of its physical
and operational systems, that would facilitate the
protection from environmental deterioration and
thereby minimizing the outflow of untreated
leachate emissions through immediate funding of
project study of the area (see project profile);
2) recommended to be one of the alternative sited
for the development of sanitary landfill which is
located in the east coast of Zamboanga City; 3)
establishment of a Proper Operation & Management
System such as but not limited to management of
Private Contractors, Budgetary Improvement of
LGU’s, Capacity Building for Project
implementation and Institutional restructuring.
Existing
Policies/Laws Related to Solid Waste Management
To overcome the
problem of solid waste management, the members of
the Sangguniang Panlungsod of the City of
Zamboanga passed Ordinance 92-013, an ordinance
prescribing guidelines to regulate the mode of
operation of the City garbage collection system
and imposing a fee in the disposal of garbage in
the City of Zamboanga and providing penalties for
violations of such. Also issued was Ordinance
93-016, an ordinance that aims to establish and
regulate the use of the slaughterhouse and
providing also for penalty in violating the said
law.
Disposal
Facilities
Zamboanga City is one
of the very few cities in the Philippines that
have sewerage system collection and disposal
systems. The sewerage system consists of vitrified
clay pipe collectors; two (2) pumping stations and
an outfall pipe which discharges untreated sewage
200 meters offshore into the Basilan Strait. The
collection system is undersized compared to the
population of the City.
Outside the existing
sewer areas, residences and establishments have
septic tank with effluent overflows to open drains
and/or drainage conduits, which ultimately
discharges into the Basilan Strait. Although these
are nominally restricted to storm water run-off,
these drain systems receive substantial sanitary
sewage and effluent septic tanks.
Flooding does not
appear to be a serious problem, but existing
drainage facilities are inadequate and floods of
short duration do occur with most of the drainage
occurring low lying areas. With sanitary sewage
being discharged into the storm drains, serious
health hazards result from conditions conducive to
breeding mosquitoes and propagation of water borne
diseases.
Since the gradient of
many areas drains into the low-lying sections of
the City. The conduits and channels are often
plugged with soil and debris adding to the
polluted conditions. There is also a potential for
polluted waters to percolate into the sub-soil
contaminating the groundwater in the vicinity of
these waterways.
Drainage
Facilities
The City’s storm
water drainage facilities consists of open
drainage canals and concrete pipe culverts on both
sides of the streets. This network of canals and
culverts discharges wastewater and storm water and
run-off to natural bodies of water within and
around the area. Coming from the north and flowing
eastward is the Tumaga River. In the west is the
Baliwasan River; while in central area is the Sta.
Maria River. Cutting through the core
Area is the Sucabon
River, and west of Rio Hondo is a swampy area. All
these serve as major receiving bodies for the
storm water run-off of the area.
Sewerage System
The sewerage system
consists of two pump stations and approximately
11.4 kilometers of vitrified clay collection
pipes. The Sucabon Creek divides the sewer service
area into East and West drainage basins.
Wastewater produced in the East drainage basin is
conveyed by gravity through the sewers to the east
Pumping Station. Likewise, the West Pumping
Station to the Basilan Strait for the final
disposal is pumping wastewater collected at the
West drainage basin.
Squatters &
Slums
The overwhelming
influx of migrants and rapid increase of
population in the City causes the scarcity of
human settlement. For this reason, they do not
have any recourse but to reside in an area that
could sustain one of the basic needs of
man-shelter. At present, the identified areas
where the squatter communities are situated are as
follows: Canelar (Kabisayaan), Camino Nuevo, Sta.
Barbara, CDCP Zone IV near Fort Pilar, Aplaya Rio
Hondo and Sta. Catalina.
Cemeteries
The record of the
Zamboanga City Social Welfare Services, list the
following cemeteries in Zamboanga City:
1. Baliwasan San
Jose
Road 16. San Roque Catholic Cemetery
2. San Roque
Memorial Park, San Roque Cemetery 17. Forest
Lake, Tumaga
3. Sta. Cruz,
Veterans Avenue (Municipal) 18. Masa Cemetery, Upper Calarian
4. Sta.
Maria 19. Private Cemetery, Navarro San Roque
5.
Talon-Talon 20. Caragasan (Muslim Cemetery)
6. Upper Calarian
(Protestant)
21. Mampang (Muslim Cemetery)
7. Tumaga
(Protestant)
22. Recodo (Muslim Cemetery)
8. Sta. Cruz
(Chinese Cemetery)
23. San Roque (Chinese Cemetery)
9.
Ayala 24. Sinunuc Memorial
Park
10. Manicahan 25. Vitali
11. Bolong 26. Labuan
12.
Mercedes 27. Sta. Cruz (Tetuan) Catholic
13. Cabaulay 28. Tumaga (Chinese Cemetery)
14. Curuan 29. Cacao (Ecuminical)
15. Tagasilang
These cemeteries must
be given appropriate attention to determine the
locational viability and uses in relation to the
nearby communities.
2.4.6.6
Environmentally Critical Areas
Environmentally
Critical Areas (ECAs) are those areas with natural
values so significant that, if at all, their
development, utilization and/or conversion require
great significant management control. Some ECAs
may be natural while others may have been altered
by certain human activities. Some ECAs will
require preservation measures while others will
require intensive management to restore or
maintain their ecological values.
The areas defined as
environmentally critical under existing laws,
rules and regulations are presented in Table IV-14
while Map IV-14 provides a map of the location of
environmentally critical areas (ECAs)
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Table IV-14.
Environmentally Critical Areas (ECAs) |
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Areas above 1,00 meters elevation
Areas above 50% slope (critical)
Watershed reservations
NIPAS areas (game refuge, national parks)
Military/naval reservations
20.0Meters strip of land along the edge of the
normal high waterline and streams with
channels of at least 5.0 meters wide
Strips of mangrove or swamplands at least 20.0
meters along shorelines facing oceans,
lakes and other
bodies of water
and strips of land at least 20.0 meters
wide facing lakes
Mangrove areas characterized by one or any
combination of the following conditions: 1)
with
primary pristine and dense young
growth; ii) adjoining mouth of major river
systems; iii)
near or adjacent to traditional
productive fry or fishing grounds; iv) which
act as a
natural buffers against shore erosion
areas set aside as aesthetic potential tourist
spots
areas which constitute the habitat for any
endangered or threatened species of indigenous
Philippine wildlife (flora and fauna)
Areas of unique historic archeological or
scientific interest
Areas which are traditionally occupied by
cultural communities or tribes (indigenous
cultural
Communities)
Areas frequently visited and/or hard-hit by
natural calamities (geologic hazards, floods,
Typhoons, volcanic activity, etc.)
Areas of aquifers
Water bodies characterized by one or any
combination of the following conditions: I)
tapped
For domestic purposes; ii) within the
controlled and/or protected areas declared by
appropriate authorities; and iii)
which support wildlife and fishery activities
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Environmentally
Critical Areas Map
2.4.7 ENR Programs and Projects
As of 1997, Zamboanga
City is implementing a number of environment and
natural resources projects and activities. As part
of its forest protection efforts, a total of five
multi-sectoral forest protection committees are
being organized and mobilized. In addition, one
Barangay Bantay Gubat will be created.
IEC for a will be
conducted focusing on forest fire prevention.
Seeding production activities will also be
undertaken through the production of some 540,000
seedlings and development of 80 hectares as part
of the agro-forestry efforts.
Existing 25 ISF
projects including devolved ones will be monitored
while 265 CSC holders will be evaluated
continuously.
Under soil
conservation and watershed development, 2
watershed areas are being targeted for
characterization and profiling. This is a
preliminary activity prior to the proclamation of
any watershed reservation. Activities are also
being undertaken to identify and delineate area
that are to be a part of the protected areas
system.
Coastal clean up was
introduced late 1996. Barangay Taluksangay,
Manicahan and Margosatubig already conducted
coastal clean-ups on November 14, November 30 and
July 1996 respectively. Cleanups will be
implemented as a regular activity for all CEP
sites.
Community Based
Mangrove Forest Management (CBMFM) in Western
Mindanao covers a total area of 4,000 hectares,
with 11 project sites, 8 of these were contracted
by NGOs and 3 were already initiated by the
administration.
Phase I (Resource
Assessment and Social Preparation) and Phase II
(Development Management) has been fully
implemented. These include: Public Information
Campaign (PIC) and Information, Education and
Communication (IEC) Campaign, Community Organizing
(CO), Value Orientation Training, Capability
Building, Resource Inventory Comprehensive
Socio-economic Profiling, Perimeter/Boundary
Survey, Zonification of CBMFM Area, Six-Month
Mangrove Rehabilitation and Preparation of a
25-year Mangrove Management Plan.
4.8
2.4.8 Strengths,
Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT)
2.4.8.1
Strengths
Geographically
nearer to ASEAN
Proximity to
BIMP-EAGA
Outside of typhoon
belt/earthquake fault line
Well distributes
rainfall & favorable climate
Quality water
source
Presence of major
rivers and tributaries as source of water for the
city
Groundwater
potentials of the area especially along the
coastal area
Rich in
biodiversity
Presence of
springs and lakes as source of surface water
and/or freshwater resources
Availability of
necessary manpower resources
Presence of newly
proclaimed ECOZONE to
spur development of small
& medium scale resources
Availability of
raw material supply for cottage industries
(bamboo, sea shells)
2.4.8.2
Weaknesses
Low productivity
Poor drainage/flood
control systems
Large scale severely
eroded forest lan
Poor solid and liquid
waste disposal system
Non-proclamation of
the other identified watershed areas
Incomplete river
classification
Absence of river
rehabilitation efforts
Absence of an
integrated solid waste management system
Lack of IEC on
government programs (CBFM, SIFMA, IFMA)
Lack of environmental
IEC
2.4.8.3
Opportunities
Tourism potential
(Sta. Cruz Islands & Sacol Island)
Agriculture/ aquatic
resources
Large tracts of
upland area for tree plantation and agro forestry
development
Wide/long coastline
for beach resort & Fishing
Ample space for
industrial expansion
2.4.8.4
Threats
Illegal cutting of
forest within watershed resources
Severe/large scale of
soil erosion especially in steeply sloping areas
Illegal fishing and
mining activities
Increasing urban
blight (slum areas, squatters)
Uncontrolled
extraction of sand and gravel along the coastal
area
Inferior air and
water quality level
Poor sewerage system
Effects of El Niño
on agricultural and fishery production
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