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Saturday, September 02, 2006
Oil spill possible in Baguio?
THE accidental oil spill in Guimaras Island is also a possibility in Baguio because of the presence of big industries, said Department of Environment and Natural Resources DENR) information officer Abner Fe Villanueva.
He said the city is not spared from the possibility of an oil spill because industries use oil for their machineries and that improper dispensation of the waste means the destruction of the environment and its health effects to people living near the companies' vicinity.
Villanueva however assured that the DENR's Environment Management Bureau (EMB) conducts constant inspection and monitoring of these big industries to prevent any environmental destruction.
"The DENR-Region 1 has been conducting inspection on ports on any oil spill coming from ships even before the Guimaras oil spill occurred," he said, referring to the EMB's alert monitoring of water quality in the area where most of the people's livelihood come from the sea.
He also explained that the big effect of oil could be attributed if it would sip on water, wherein accordingly, one drop of oil could affect more than 10 gallons of water.
It is observed that auto shops along the Baguio-La Trinidad stretch indiscriminately throw motor oils on the sidewalks while the car-washing shops' drainage flows directly to the Balili River.
"That waste from auto shops, especially oil, has big effect on waterways like the Balili River and other tributaries," Villanueva said, claiming that fishes are no longer found in the river due to these pollutants.
He hoped that concerned local government units (LGUs) would pass an ordinance prohibiting and giving stern sanctions to auto shops just throwing their used oils.
He said the coordination of Baguio and La Trinidad officials to find a doable solution on Balili's pollution control is needed. "Shortage of funding and the lack of political will should not hinder the continuity of the Clean Balili River project," Villanueva added.
He also said their office conducted Balili river clean-up during the environmental month celebration last June. The DENR gathered the people's signatures in the area to confirm their willingness and commitment to maintain the cleanliness of the river as it supplies water to the vegetables planted in some parts of La Trinidad.
Villanueva said the conduct of LGU fora on the effects of oil waste would help inform and educate shop owners to curb the practice of indiscriminately disposing used oil.
(September 2, 2006 issue)
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