Smokey Mountain - Weber Smokey Mountain

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

History

Smokey Mountain operated for more than 40 years, 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.

In 1993, 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. The area was officially closed in 1995. 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.

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

Migration to The Payatas Dump

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