Communities surrounding the dumpsite, especially low-income families, are among the most vulnerable.
CEBU CITY – The smoke may clear soon but the damage caused by the landfill fire in Navotas could linger for years.
Since April 10, thick smoke has continuously swelled from the city’s dumpsite, forcing nearby residents to endure days of choking air, worried over what they may already be breathing into their lungs.
Authorities project the fire could be extinguished within the month, specifically May 11. Environmental experts said that what burned in Navotas was not just garbage but also toxic mixtures capable of leaving long-term consequences on public health and the environment.
In an interview with Bulatlat, environmental scientist and waste expert Dr. Jorge Emmanuel said this waste disaster is not isolated but the result of years of systemic neglect in the country’s waste management system. Emmanuel served as chief technical advisor for United Nations Development Programme Global Environmental Facility projects in New York and consultant to the World Health Organization (WHO).
“The most common cause of landfill fires is the lack of removal and recovery of landfill gases, especially methane,” Emmanuel said.
Methane, a highly flammable gas produced by decomposing waste, can accumulate beneath piles of garbage when dump sites are poorly managed.
Dr. Emmanuel Jorge at an environmental forum in Cebu. Photo by Miguel Louie de Guzman/Greenpeace
He said that properly designed sanitary landfills are supposed to have systems that collect methane gas, prevent oxygen from entering waste piles, and cover trash daily with soil. But many waste facilities in the Philippines, he said, are effectively still open dump sites despite being called landfills.
“In reality, my observation has been that the Philippines really has dump sites, not landfills,” Emmanuel said. “Landfills imply they are properly designed.”
The fire in Navotas, he said, was fueled by nearly all the conditions that make dump site fires possible, like massive waste accumulation, methane buildup, dry weather, and the absence of proper safeguards. But what makes landfill fires particularly dangerous is that they often continue burning underground long after visible flames disappear.
“There are surface fires, but there are also deep-seated fires,” he said. “These are fires that continue to smolder underneath. They can burn for a very long time.”
Beyond the fire
According to Emmanuel, burning waste releases an array of toxic pollutants into the air, including fine particulate matter known as PM2.5 – microscopic particles small enough to penetrate deep into the lungs and bloodstream. Exposure to PM2.5 can trigger asthma attacks, bronchitis, and long-term respiratory illnesses.
Particulate matter is only part of the threat.
“Landfill fires also emit acid gases such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, along with persistent organic pollutants including furans and dioxins which can exist for years, toxic compounds associated with cancer, liver damage, kidney disease, and other severe health impacts,” Emmanuel said.
Navotas Landfill fire. Photo by Jilson Tiu/Greenpeace
According to the WHO, dioxins are toxic environmental pollutants that can remain in the human body for years due to their chemical stability and ability to accumulate in fat tissue. The WHO estimates that dioxins can stay in the body for seven up to 11 years and may also build up through the food chain in the environment.
The organization also warned that short-term exposure to high levels of dioxins may cause skin disorders, including chloracne and skin discoloration, as well as liver problems. Long-term exposure, meanwhile, has been linked to damage to the immune, nervous, endocrine, and reproductive systems.
“People can smell the smoke and see the ash,” Emmanuel said. “But what they don’t realize is there are many other materials you cannot see and often cannot detect that you’re also breathing.”
Higher risk
Communities surrounding the dumpsite, especially low-income families, are among the most vulnerable. Emmanuel recommended that residents stay indoors, seal windows, and use HEPA air filters with activated carbon systems as safety measures.
HEPA air filters alone typically cost between P1,000 to P3,000 ($17 to $50).
Navotas landfill is seen burning as Resident commute via boat at Obando, Bulacan. It’sbeen three weeks since the Navotas landfill fire began and it’s still emitting toxic fumes in Metero Manila. Jilson Tiu/Greenpeace Philippines
“The vast majority of people will not be able to afford this,” he said. “So the best solution is to avoid landfill fires to begin with.”
Inquirer.net reported that a 54-year-old woman, Arlene Abot, who had evacuated following the fire at the Navotas Sanitary Landfill, died on April 21 due to suspected health complications. On that evening of April, Abot reportedly experienced sudden shortness of breath upon arriving at the evacuation center at Obando National High School later that evening. She had preexisting medical conditions, including diabetes and kidney problems and was later declared dead on arrival while still en route to the hospital.
Since April 17, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB) has reported unhealthy air quality in the National Capital Region (NCR) especially for sensitive groups.
The incident revived long-standing criticisms over the country’s implementation of Republic Act 9003 mandating the closure of open dump sites and requiring local governments to shift toward sanitary landfills more than two decades ago since the collapse of the Payatas landfill which killed more than 200 lives.
Despite the law, Emmanuel said that many dump sites across the country remain non-compliant. “As long as we continue to have dump sites that simply pile mixed waste together, these fires will continue to happen,” he said. (AMU, RTS, DAA)
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