Coal-Fired Power Plant Contaminates Air in Naga City, Cebu

Coal Ash dump

Another concern of Naga City residents is the planned dumpsite for the coal ash. Last year, the provincial government of Cebu, in order to meet the need for proper disposal of coal ash, purchased a 25-hectare beach lot in Naga. The ownership was transferred to the province last July 13, 2008, and cost the province P98-million.

The purchase is now being scrutinized, as environmental lawyers in Cebu are challenging its legality, arguing that 40 percent of the land is submerged in water, and as such belongs to the state.

The province, last July 5, inked an agreement with the Korean Electric Corp (Kepco), giving Kepco the right to dump in the property the coal ash wastes that will be produced once the 200-megawatt coal-fired power plant becomes operational in 2011. The agreement is expected to give the province P48-million in revenues.

At the contested Coal Ash disposal site. (Contributed photo)

Obando, however, is wary of the agreement, saying that the property where the coal ash will be dumped is located near a mangrove forest. He said that it is here where Naga and neighboring cities source their fish.

“This will cause irreparable damage to the fishing ground,” said Vince Cinches, executive director for the Central Visayas Fisherfolk Development Center.

He, however, said it is the community who will determine if they would allow the destruction of their environment and their health to be compromised for the reason of enjoying the convenience of uninterrupted electricity.

Cinches clarified that the government and power companies’ claim of a power shortage is questionable, saying that the “line” has been used to justify the building of more coal power plants, but the time for the said crisis to happen had elapsed and the so-called power crisis did not happen.

Francis de la Cruz of Greenpeace, however said the most effective way of averting an energy crisis is not to build more environmentally destructive power plants, but to increase the efficiency of the current usage of power, making residents become more responsible in their consumption of electricity.

Gloria Estenzo-Ramos of GLACC said it is government’s role to look for energy sources that are sustainable and does not destroy the environment. “The Department of Energy’s mandate is to regulate energy that will not destroy the environment,” she said. “But why are they promoting fossil fuel?”

Call for Renewable Energy

Meanwhile, Obando said he will continue to help organize his fellow Nagahanons so that they would have a stronger voice to make the government listen to their concerns. He said that although they are not able to document the number of health cases that may have resulted from the increase of toxins in the air, he is convinced that most of the residents within the 15-kilometer radius of the power plant are suffering from some form of pulmonary illness or skin allergies.

Quijano clarified that the medical conditions that arise from the use of coal may not present immediately. “This may take years to manifest,” he said.

Quijano suggested for a systematic monitoring of the health of the residents. “Heavy metals are persistent and don’t disappear,” he said. And because of this, the content of heavy metals on the air may accumulate, making it more toxic for the residents.

When it comes to the toxicity of the coal ash, Quijano clarified that the level of toxicity may vary, but, “it is still toxins and we don’t want that inside our body,” he said.

For the meantime, Obando and his family are grateful that now they are aware of the dangers of coal, saying that now they could at least do something about the problem.