MALASIQUI, Pangasinan - The Pangasinan provincial board is reviewing an ordinance passed by the legislative council of Bayambang town endorsing a plan to set up an 80-hectare sanitary landfill somewhere in that town.

Vice Gov. Oscar Lambino said the provincial board was proposed by a Metro Manila-based company called WINS that intends to put up sanitary landfill that could accomodate all solid wastes from all towns and cities in Pangasinan.

Based on the ordinance, the Bayambang municipal council agreed with the construction of the landfill site on a land that was already bought by the company.

But under the Local Government Code, the ordinance must be reviewed and reported out by the provincial board and in conducting this, it could hold another public hearing on the matter.

Lambino said the review of the ordinance is yet in the committee level of the provincial board and this would be reviewed thoroughly due to complaints from residents who fear tht once the project is allowed, their groundwater could be affected due to seepage.

The complaints will be considered in the hearing process where the proponents will be asked on how it will address all these concerns and whether it has conducted the necessary consultation with the people, he said.

The project was hatched up because of the observation that all cities and towns of Pangasinan are now having a problem handling and disposing their garbage because of their rapid growth and urbanization.

All towns and cities disposing their garbage into the sanitary landfill site would be assessed and their payments would be used for the further maintenance of the facility.

The company will employ close vans and compact trucks to haul garbage from cities and municipalities to the sanitary landfill site.

Prof. Nicanor Melecio, an environmentalist and consultant of the Bayambang municipal government, hailed the project because it is really a problem on where to dispose the mountains of garbage daily coming from different towns and cities.

“It may take us for sometime to look into the project. It is because we want to really make sure that it will not affect the people and the environment,” Lambino said.

He added that landfill is something that can not just be fast-tracked or railroaded.

But he confided that he has no doubt that if the proponent had already completed its social engineering in the area, it would be easier for the provincial board to look into the project in its totality.

“It appears that the residents are concerned about seepage of garbage down the water level around the area,” Lambino said.

He said he expects that the residents are concerned about seepage of garbage down the water level around that area,” Lambino said.

He said he expects the proponent to have a ready answer to address this problem. (PNA)