The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) may lift the suspension of a sanitary landfill in Davao City as early as next week if the local government complies with safety requirements imposed after a deadly trash slide that killed two people and injured several others.

DENR Assistant Secretary for Legal and Enforcement Norlito Eneran said the suspension was ordered following the trash slide at the landfill, which serves about 89 percent of Davao City’s communities.

“Yes, that is correct. The waste was temporarily placed outside the compound of the DENR Region 11 office,” Eneran said, referring to social media posts showing garbage near the agency’s office in Davao City.

He said the area has since been cleaned and clarified that the waste accumulation was only temporary while authorities addressed the landfill closure.

Eneran said both the DENR and the Davao City government were concerned by the incident, which prompted the agency to suspend operations at the landfill pursuant to Republic Act 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act.

“The landfill was suspended to allow rehabilitation and slope stabilization. We saw the possibility that it could fail again in the future, so this is a preventive measure to protect the public,” he said.

Violations

Before imposing the suspension, the DENR issued notices of violation and conducted technical conferences with local government officials to discuss temporary waste management solutions and compliance measures.

The agency identified sanitary landfills in Panabo City and Sta. Cruz, Davao del Sur, as alternative disposal sites for Davao City’s residual waste while rehabilitation work is ongoing.