DENR mulls suspension of Davao City landfill after collapse kills 1, injures 2

THE operation of the Davao City Sanitary Landfill is facing possible suspension owing to a trash slide that killed one and injured two others in an active disposal area of the facility following days of heavy rain.

- By JONATHAN L. MAYUGA

The incident that happened at exactly 1:10 p.m. on May 20 claimed the life of one person, injured two others, and left two more missing. Search and rescue teams from the Bureau of Fire Protection, 911 Urban Search and Rescue, the City Engineers Office, and barangay responders were deployed, though unstable ground conditions limited access to the site, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said, as it has directed the local officials to accelerate stabilization measures at the site.

The City Engineers’ Office has declared the area unsafe, prompting a temporary halt to disposal operations and implementation of perimeter control while technical teams evaluate the extent of the waste movement.

Inspection records show the landfill had been under close monitoring since January.

Environment Management Bureau Region XI Office officials held technical meetings with city officials on January 20 and March 4, and issued a Notice of Violation on March 19 for operating without a discharge permit, failing effluent standards, and maintaining an inadequate leachate treatment system.