THE Dagupan City government has only up to 10 days since last week to submit a closure rehabilitation plan for its now overflow open dumpsite in Bonuan.

The deadline was contained in a letter signed by DENR Regional Executive Director Victor Ancheta addressed to Dagupan City Mayor Alipio Fernandez Jr. A copy of the letter was also sent to the office of the Provincial Environment and National Resources Office headed by Wendy Co for its own information and guidelines.

The DENR letter meant that the city’s open dumpsite is now up for closure as it is now a bane to the environment, particularly the adjacent Lingayen Gulf.

Admitting that the open dumpsite of Dagupan in Bonuan has already reached a critical level, Co observed that the facility seems unable to accommodate any more wastes being collected from all the 31 barangays of the city.

Vice Mayor Belen Fernandez and Councilor Librada Reyna, chair of the committee on environment in the city council, have gone to seek advise from the National Waste Management Commission in Manila on what to do with the garbage problem.

During the past city administration, Dagupan bought a 30-hectare lot in barangay Awai, San Jacinto for P16 million where it intended to build a sanitary landfill.

A legal hitch however has developed after the tenants of the same field a case for redemption with the Department of Agrarian Reform Arbitration Board (DARAB).

Strangely failing to answer or put up a defense of its claim over the lot, the city lost the case by default.

“We will not touch this issue anymore because this is already past,” said Community Environment and Natural Resources Officer Samuel Songcuan, referring to the Awai project.