WHILE the air in Metro Cebu is still “safe and breathable,” many rivers in the metropolis are highly polluted and seawaters even in tourist spots have traces of coliform bacteria.
Out of three independent cities, six component cities and 44 towns in Cebu, 73 local governments units (LGUs) continue to operate open dumpsites and 49 LGUs still use controlled dumpsites, in violation of Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.
This is the state of Cebu’s environment, as reported recently by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) 7 and its Environmental Management Bureau (EMB).
The DENR 7 also noted that the rising human population will have effects on natural resources in Cebu.
The DENR 7 state of the environment report was delivered during the Regional Green Advocates’ Forum on April 22, the highlight of the department’s celebration of Earth Day.
