Smokey Mountain

Smokey Mountain was the term coined for a large landfill once located in Tondo, Manila.

For the namesake musical group, see Smokey Mountain (band).
Smokey Mountain, 2011.
Housing built around Smokey Mountain, 2011.

History

Smokey Mountain operated for more than 40 years,[1] consisting of over two million metric tons of waste. The flammable substances on decomposing waste led to numerous fires which has resulted in many deaths.[2]

In 1969, a joint venture agreement, between the National Housing Authority (NHA) and R-II Builders Inc. (RBI) was made to build a low-cost housing project at Smokey Mountain. On 15 August 2007, this agreement was declared valid by the Philippine Supreme Court.[3] The area was officially closed in 1995.[2] The site was turned into public housing for the impoverished people living in the slums surrounding the landfill. The slums were also cleared, which was the home of 30,000 people that make their living from picking through the landfill's rubbish.[1]

Projects have been enforced by the Government and non-government organizations to allow urban resettlement sites for the slum dwellers.[4] According to a UN-Habitat report, over 20 million people in the Philippines live in slums,[5] and in the city of Manila alone, 50% of the over 11 million inhabitants live in slum areas.[6][7]

Migration to The Payatas Dump
Further information: Payatas

When Smokey Mountain closed down in 1995, many scavengers migrated to the Payatas dumpsite, where another large scavenging community arose.[2] As of 2007, approximately 80,000 people live at the Payatas dump.[2] In 2000 a landslide at the Payatas dump killed over two hundred scavengers.[2]

See also

References
  1. "Smokey Mountain Remediation and Development Project: Philippines". Poverty Environment Partnership. 25 October 2012. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
  2. Medina, Martin (2007). The world's scavengers : salvaging for sustainable consumption and production. Lanham, MD [u.a.]: AltaMira Press. p. 189. ISBN 0759109419.
  3. Torres, Tetch (15 August 2007). "SC upholds Smokey Mountain contract between NHA, R-II". Inquirer.net. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
  4. "'It breaks your heart'". Archived from the original on June 15, 2007. Retrieved May 26, 2007.
  5. Salazar, Teresa (30 June 2007). "High transaction costs, rent control linked to RP slums". Inquirer.net. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
  6. http://home.earthlink.net/~lordprozen/PUF/bahang/state.html#ref4 Archived July 26, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  7. Cruz, Prince Christian (10 July 2008). "Housing Sales and Rental Markets in Asia". Global Property Guide. Retrieved 22 May 2013.

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