Metro Manila air quality back to normal – DENR

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MANILA, Philippines — After last week’s Navotas landfill fire, Metro Manila’s air quality is back to good and fair levels, according to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

Coarse particles and fine particulate matter in the capital are returning to usual conditions, but other factors may affect the air quality in other areas, Janice Pammit, director of the DENR Environmental Management Bureau-National Capital Region, said.

The DENR is probing the cause of the landfill fire, with the operator possibly facing charges or sanctions.

Phil Ecology Systems Corp. did not push through with the landfill’s safe closure and abandonment, Pammit noted.

The 40-hectare landfill has been closed since August 2025 after its franchise expired.

A notice of violations had been issued against the operator, the DENR said.

Meanwhile, at the landfill, containment efforts are ongoing as smoke persists.

Officials said the fire is believed to be coming from buried waste, making it difficult to extinguish due to underground heat.

Covering areas with soil or sand is being considered to cut off oxygen supply and stop the fire, Navotas Mayor John Rey Tiangco said.