Residents of Pifo, in the northeast of Quito, denounce that there is no leachate management in the El Inga landfill

On March 10, 2022, dwellers of the surrounding communities El Inga landfill, place that receives waste from the entire Metropolitan District of Quito, in the parish of Pifo, denounced the overflow of pool nine destined for leachate (polluting liquid obtained from the decomposition process of garbage).

This would be the second case that is made public about the filtration of the polluting liquid into the ravine of the Inga river. On January 28, 2022, the Ministry of the Environment, Water and Ecological Transition (Maate) already imposed a fine of $127,500 to the Municipal Company for Comprehensive Solid Waste Management (Emgirs-EP) for environmental infringement.

Reports issued by the ministry on August 11 and December 14 confirmed the discovery of toxic substances and non-compliance with the “action plans, environmental management plans and environmental license”.

Upon requesting information from this Ministry, they reported that are in the investigation of this new spill.

George Pineda, president of the Itulcachi community, pointed out that the constant rains in the sector caused the pool to overflow of leachate. “We did an inspection and found them trying to cover with sacks of earth on the edges, this pool is anti-technical, they cannot continue working like this, there is no specialist technician to work on a solution, but they always respond when the liquid already comes out and burns the vegetation”, he emphasized.

According to the leader, these days he has seen several tankers that began to remove leachate, those who, in his opinion, are taken to the Amazon, to a treatment plant.

In a past interview with EL UNIVERSO, the manager of Emgirs, Maricruz Hernandez, said they exist two leachate streams, one that has been accumulated for years and another that is generated daily. On dry season they produce 430 cubic meters per day, in the rainy season there are more than 700, according to the municipal official.

For him accumulated leachate He replied that they hired a business from mid-January, at a cost of $4 million, that in 270 approximate days (October) will leave the liquid at permitted levels by the environmental norm and that the new leachate that is generated passes through a treatment train of the company, which would be used in sprinkling for dust control in the same sanitary landfill.

However, Pineida pointed out that there is no leachate management. “They told us that they would start in January, but nothing, they have a plant that is damaged, they don’t use it. Before the rains, those pools were already full, they cannot hide the leachates and they continue to be dumped into the Inga River (…). The operations manager is the same, I don’t know why they blame the previous administration”, he added.

For his part, the mayor of Quito, Santiago Guarderas, said that the situation in the sanitary landfill “is under control”. He indicated that they are going to make a rehabilitation plan together with the Ministry of the Environment and that the new leachate filtration “these are issues that will always come up.”

He also assured that they have launched the respective processes to take corrective measures.

This newspaper requested an interview with the manager of Emgirs, but from the Department of Communication they replied that They are preparing a report. about the state of the landfill. (I)