MANILA, Philippines — The fire at the Navotas Sanitary Landfill is now 79.6 percent contained, the Metro Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (MMDRRMC) said Wednesday, nearly a month after it broke out.
The council met at the MMDA head office in Pasig City to assess response operations and conditions at the site.
Navotas City Mayor John Rey Tiangco said air quality across Metro Manila remained within acceptable levels, based on monitoring by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
Authorities are using drones with thermal imaging to detect possible ignition points within the 44-hectare landfill, he added.
The Navotas Sanitary Landfill Task Group continues fire suppression operations through soil covering, smothering, and misting, with support from national agencies, including the Office of Civil Defense, Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of Transportation, DENR-Environmental Management Bureau, and the MMDA.
Tiangco also said the landfill operator failed to implement its closure and rehabilitation plan, in violation of its Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC).
The MMDA said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered the Department of National Defense to seek technical assistance from foreign partners, including Japan and the United States, to help address the fire.
The fire began on April 10 and remains under active management.
