City gov’t told to protect river
AN environment official warned the Iloilo City government to check unbridled developments on the banks of the Iloilo River to prevent pollution and flooding.
Engr. Edwin Domingo, assistant director of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, said they noticed that many buildings and land developments are sprouting on the river banks.
“From what we saw in satellite images, a lot of your buildings and structures have been developed practically on the bank of the rivers. There should be allowances between the buildings and the river banks,” Domingo told The Daily Guardian.
Domingo said unchecked developments could constrict the river which could trigger floods.
“Your river system (Tigum-Aganan) follows a straight line from the mountain. But when it reaches the lower area, the river becomes winding. When the portion of the river in the lower plain is constricted, it would be hard to contain the rushing water which could lead to flooding of Iloilo City which sits on a river delta,” Domingo said.
Domingo added: “In urban areas, the more establishments and people you put near the river, chances are they are going to use the river as garbage dump.”
The Iloilo City Environment and Natural Resources Office (Cenro) had said that the 180 barangays in the city have virtually made the once beautiful and majestic Iloilo River as giant septic tank.
Cenro chief Noel Hechanova said household wastes and wastewater discharges from hospitals, hotels and commercial establishments are polluting the river.
Fishkills have become a regular occurrence at the river because of the unabated pollution it absorbs.
“There’s a problem of low dissolved oxygen caused by organic load from human wastes. The impact is fish kill and death of aquatic animals and plants. Septic tanks should serve as partial treatment of human wastes considering the city has no centralized sewage treatment facility,” Hechanova told The Daily Guardian in an earlier interview.
Domingo also stressed the need of a good drainage in the city saying some local government units build roads and pavements without a viable drainage system.
“Even if you get flooded, it will recede quickly if there is good drainage system,” he added.
Domingo arrived in Iloilo City along with officials from the National Disaster Coordinating Council, PAG-ASA, Philvolcs, Office of the Civil Defense, Red Cross, Namria and MGB-DENR to launch READY Project.
READY Project aims to map hazard zones in the country to prepare for disaster and avoid losses in lives and properties.
Domingo said the local government should work on its comprehensive land use plan which should jive with the geo-hazard maps which will be produced by READY Project.
“With the geo-hazard maps, the local officials will know where to locate residential, commercial and industrial zones,” Domingo said.
Francis Allan L. Angelo, The Daily Guardian
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