Strictly comply with ECC terms on dam, MWSS told

Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu on Thursday warned the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) that it could lose its environmental compliance certificate (ECC) for the P18.7-billion Kaliwa Dam project if it did not strictly comply with the conditions set by it.

Cimatu said the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), through the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB), would strictly monitor the agency’s compliance to ensure that appropriate environmental and social safeguards are met in the implementation of the project.

“We expect the MWSS, as project proponent, to ensure that all activities related to the project are environmentally and socially sound and sustainable,” he said in a statement.

The water regulator should implement the measures presented in the Environmental Impact Statement that is intended “to protect and mitigate the project’s adverse impacts on community health, welfare and the environment,” he said.

Big-ticket projects

On Oct. 11, the EMB issued the ECC for the controversial project amid stiff resistance from environmental groups and the indigenous communities in Quezon and Rizal provinces that would be displaced by the dam construction.

The dam, which is intended to provide water for Metro Manila, is among the Duterte administration’s big-ticket projects to be built with loans from China.

The issuance of the ECC allows the project to proceed to the next stage of implementation, which is to secure additional permits from other government agencies.

It directs the MWSS to conduct an effective information, education and communication program among the contractors and workers involved and the local residents.

Moreover, it requires an inventory and assessment of “threatened species,” which may be affected during clearing operations, including maps showing their habitat.

The ECC calls for adaptation of mitigation measures to protect the Tinipak Spring and Tinipak White Rocks, a popular ecotourism site in Tanay, Rizal, famous for pristine waters and white marble rock formations.

Dev’t plan for IPs

The MWSS also must submit a development plan for indigenous peoples and ensure that their sacred sites and burial grounds, as well as the culture and livelihood of the indigenous communities, are preserved.

According to the ECC, no activity shall be allowed before the MWSS shows compliance with the requirements of the National Integrated Protected Areas System Act, and until necessary certifications are acquired from the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples.

MWSS also cannot start the project until disposal sites of excavated materials have been identified and approved and the proper documents, permits and clearances are obtained from concerned government agencies.

Any violation could result in the withdrawal of the ECC plus a fine of up to P50,000 per offense. —JHESSET O. ENANO