BAGUIO CITY — In rehabilitating the city’s old open dumping facility, the local government and the Philippine Bamboo Foundation have penned an agreement to convert the area into a bamboo forest that could boost the city’s livelihood.
Edgardo Manda, president of the Philippine Bamboo Foundation, said on the sidelines of the bamboo techno-investment forum and roadshow here on Wednesday the city council has approved the proposal of their group to help the city rehabilitate its open dumpsite.
The dumpsite was ordered closed by the National Solid Waste Commission, as it is against the solid waste management law. The city used the dumpsite for almost four decades, accumulating methane gas underneath.
Manda said his group will start with the establishment of a nursery in the area first quarter of this year.
“We will teach the residents of Irisan barangay on plantlet production, which will be the demonstration site, then the succeeding projects will follow,” he told the Philippine News Agency (PNA).
The Irisan dumpsite will be converted to a bamboo forest, where Chinese and Japanese bamboo varieties will be planted.
Bamboos, Manda said, absorb heavy metals, diminishing the accumulated methane gas overtime and reducing the possibility of a trash fire in the area.
The bamboo varieties set to be planted, he explained, could be used for handicrafts. The leaves are proven effective in sequestering carbon dioxide, reducing pollution in the process. The roots of bamboos also spread wide, a good way to control soil erosion.
“We see the place to soon become a green area,” Manda said, saying a bamboo forest like the one being envisioned “reduces air pollution by 10 to 15 percent.”
The Philippine Bamboo Foundation plans to expand its bamboo propagation proposal to other barangays, once the Irisan dumpsite is fully rehabilitated.
“First quarter we will handle Irisan then we will move to areas of denuded mountains on residential areas. Anyway, there surely are available lots in between houses,” he said.
The bamboo forest project is seen not only to rehabilitate Bagiuo’s former dumps, but to contribute to the local bamboo industry’s supply as well, such as in engineered bamboos.
“Bamboos are perfect for the Baguio weather,” Manda noted, saying the city’s bamboo propagation project is hitting two birds with one stone–preserving the environment adding income for the people. (Liza Agoot/PNA)
