Decentralized sewage treatment plant put up at CEO grounds

A pilot demonstration decentralized sewage treatment plant has been established at the City Engineering Office grounds funded by a grant from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and implemented by FujiClean Company, Ltd., to enhance the Summer Capital’s wastewater treatment infrastructure.

Done in collaboration with the city government, the STP uses ‘Johkasou’ technology, a compact, self-contained Japanese system for decentralized wastewater treatment that uses a combination of biological and physical processes to treat domestic wastewater on-site.

The technology is also known for its high treatment efficiency, versatility, and low maintenance requirements.

Mayor Benjamin Magalong together with City Environment and Parks Management Office (CEPMO) deputy head Engr. Marivic Empizo, JICA and FujiClean representatives and other officials, inspected the facility on December 4.

Magalong said the initiative will help address various sanitation and environmental challenges facing the city and also pave the way for sustainable urban development.

The city is inviting owners of local establishments to visit the facility and check if they can also establish the technology in their respective places and offices.

Empizo said the Baguio Environment Code requires buildings or structures with a wastewater volume of 12 cubic meters per day to provide their own treatment facility.

In 2024, the city council passed resolution no. 634 confirming the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) entered into by the city government represented by the Mayor with JICA and FujiClean for the construction of a decentralized sewage treatment plant (Johkasou Technology) at the CEO grounds. – Gaby B. Keith