Officials from Sta. Rosa in Laguna province, Cebu City, Lapu-lapu City, and the municipality of Cordova, Cebu, visited Dumaguete and Bayawan cities last week for a familiarization tour of septage waste treatment facilities.{{more}}
The tour is in aid of legislation for these local governments who are being urged to adopt and implement sewerage and septage management programs under the Clean Water Act of 2004, to protect water resources, public health and the economy, said Lisa Kircher Lumbao, chief of party of the Philippine Sanitation Alliance.
The Sanitation Alliance is a US Agency for International Development-assisted four-year program that brings together cities and private sector partners to develop affordable solutions to sanitation challenges, said Lumbao in her letter to Dumaguete Mayor Manuel Sagarbarria and Bayawan Mayor Rene Gaudiel.
The Cebu officials toured the septage waste treatment facilities for Bayawan and Dumaguete last Feb. 10 and 11, while the Laguna officials will visit on Feb. 24 and 25.
These projects were implemented through local government funding with technical assistance from the USAID-PSA.
USAID-PSA consultant Andrea Trinidad-Echavez said Bayawan and Dumaguete were chosen for the site visits for having the “best practices” in the establishment of their respective sewage waste treatment facilities.
The USAID-PSA offers technical assistance on crafting an ordinance and facility designs for septage treatment facilities based on the needs and the prevailing conditions of a particular LGU.