CHAPTER IX
AIR QUALITY MANAGEMENT
Section 70. Policy Statement. The basic intention of the Municipality of Miagao is to undertake the necessary precautionary and preventive measure to ensure the maintenance of ambient air quality. Given the complexity of clean air management and the insufficient technology and resources available for the conduct of atmospheric monitoring and evaluation, the Municipality of Miagao shall prevent to the greatest extent permissible, to continued degradation of air quality within its territorial jurisdiction based on the available resources, information and technical support to achieve such level of a standard quality of air as prescribed by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Clean Air Act of 1999.
Section 71. Industrial Location. No industries or factories shall be constructed within a 1 km. radius from the town proper. Industrial location shall be governed by the existing ordinance on Comprehensive Land Use Plan.
Section 72. Ambient Air Quality Control. The Municipality in coordination with the DENR shall conduct the annual of all industrial facilities, including all equipment emitting potential air pollutants, to ensure that such establishment that are complying with the prescribed standards on air quality.
Section 73. Fugitive Particles. No person shall allow the emission of fugitive particulate from any source whatsoever, including, but not limited vehicular movement, transportation of materials, construction, alteration, demolition or wrecking, or industry-related activities such as loading, storing or handling without taking reasonable precaution to prevent such emission. In line with such precaution, the following are hereby adopted:
a.Covering of open loaded trucks transporting materials likely to give rise to airborne dust, odor, and other fugitive particles.
b.Treatment or removal of air pollutants e.g. dusts, fumes, gasses, mists, odorous matters or vapor or any combination thereof prior to discharge into the open air.
c.In case of building construction or demolition, quarrying operation or clearing of land, precautions shall be carried out to ensure that fugitive dusts remain within the premises of the activity conducted.
d.Dust, dirty and fly ash from any activity. The emission of dust, dirty or fly ash from any source or activity, which shall pollute the air and render it unclear, detrimental, unhealthful or hazardous or cause visibility to be impaired, shall be not permitted. In no case however shall dust, dirty or fly ash to exceed 0.3 gram per cubic meter of the flue gas at starch temperature of 10 centigrade nor create haze with opaqueness equivalent to or greater than no. 1 of the Ringlemen Chart.
Section 74. Reducing Emission of Carbon Dioxide (CO) and Other Greenhouse Gases. The Municipality of Miagao shall exert major effort to contribute to towards the minimization of global warming. As such, in coordination with the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) of the DENR, the Municipal Government shall regulate the use of chemical fertilizer, burning of timber and crop residues and burning of fossil fuels within its territory.
Section 75. Reducing Emissions of Substances that Depletes the Ozone Layer. The depletion of ozone layer (in earth’s atmosphere) caused by the use of chlorofluorocarbon (CFC), Halon and other hydrochloflourocarbons (HCFCs) poses extreme health hazard to mankind such as exposure to harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun. Pursuant to the Montreal Protocol where the Philippines is a signatory, the Municipality of Miagao hereby adopts some of its relevant provisions:
a.All citizens in the Municipality are discouraged to use aerosols with CFC content e.g., spray nets, pesticides, fertilizers, etc.
b.Refrigeration and air-conditioning repair shops shall be required to institute measures to avoid the release of CFC’s directly into the atmosphere.
c.The use of yellow fire extinguisher containing halon will not be allowed in the Municipality of Miagao.
Section 76. Open Burning.
a.Open burning adds to global warming and provides hazard to health, properties and natural resources. Therefore, no person shall ignite, caused to be ignited or maintain any open fires except on the following activities:
1.open fire cooking of food for human consumption
2.fires for recreational or ceremonial purposes
3.fires for the prevention and control of diseases or pests;
4.fires for the disposal of dangerous materials or waste, when there is no practical alternative method for disposal, provided that a clearance is secured from the Office of the Mayor; and
5.fires for training personnel in the methods of fire fighting.
Section 77. Noise and Vibration.
a. To protect public health and welfare against nuisance cause by excessive noise, the Municipality of Miagao in coordination with the DENR and various sectors within the Municipality shall cause the standard limits for noise pollution and set standard for noise reduction and the source as may be appropriate.