Milestone collab with JICA to help city in wastewater treatment development project
Mayor Benjamin Magalong and the City Environment and Parks Management Office (CEPMO) have announced a milestone collaboration between the city government and the Japan International Cooperation (JICA) to help get the city’s wastewater treatment development project off the ground.
JICA is the same institution that assisted the city in building its sewerage treatment plant (STP) in 1982.
Officials of JICA and support agencies visited the city last Dec. 6-8, 2022 to conduct the sustainable development goals business model formulation survey for the introduction of an onsite wastewater treatment system known as FujiClean technology.
The survey aims to identify challenges to comply with strict Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) effluent standards using the FujiClean technology.
It will also help determine the demonstration project site for the installation of the system and consider the efficient sewage infrastructure development that combines the FujiClean system and the centralized sewage treatment plant for the three river basins in the city namely Bued, Asin Galiano and Ambalanga Rivers.
An STP has already been proposed for the Balili River.
The proposed STP will have the following features: certified technology, flexible installation regardless of unfavorable geographical condition, factory made fibre reinforced plastic (FRP) tank, stable product quality, durable to acid gas, easy maintenance and certified treatment performance.
An installation of equipment for 30-100 cubic meter wastewater treatment from JICA and the supporting agencies will be considered for the initiation of the project, with the LGU counterpart to be discussed after the site inspections and feasibility study.
Mayor Magalong expressed his appreciation to JICA and the partner agencies for their assistance to solve development challenges and create a win-win relationship for the success of the project.
The supporting groups for the project are Japanese Public Agency, Original Engineering Consultants Co., Ltd. (OEC), TOYO University, National Institute for Environmental Studies with the Phil-Japan Worldwide Management Services, Inc. (PJW) as the Local Partner.
According to Asst. CEPMO Engr. Marivic Empizo, the target of the survey period is November 2022 – November 2023 and a demonstration project is expected by 2025. – Aileen P. Refuerzo
