Thursday, August 23, 2007 Chemicals kill fish in Liloan
IT HAS not caused a massive fish kill, but chemicals coming out of a drainage system in Jubay, Liloan town in northern Cebu has deprived residents of what little edible resources that they could get from their part of the sea.
Moreover, some residents in the area complained that the stench is unbearable every time the pipe releases some milky white substance into the sea.
“It smells of foul chemicals,” said Neil Noval, 39.
Mauricio Udtohan, 79, said they found dead fish and seashells last Monday and Tuesday.
“So many fish were floating,” Udtohan said.
Everything appeared normal when Sun.Star Cebu visited the area early yesterday morning, although the residents said the dumping of the chemicals usually happen late in the afternoon the last two days.
Dead
Both also claimed that they have seen the same white substance come out of the drainage pipe near the sea for the past weeks, although it was only recently that they saw dead fish floating.
But for this small village whose people rely heavily on fishing, this was enough to cause alarm.
“If this goes on, they might declare there’s a red tide or that the sea is unsafe even for bathing and we will be affected,” Udtohan said in Cebuano.
Food
Joy, 26, said she was surprised to see several fish floating dead while she was making her way home from work.
“It’s such a waste of fish that could have been food,” she said.
They fear that the situation might worsen if it continues unabated, and hopes local authorities can identify the cause of the problem.
Health
Udtohan is also worried about possible effects on their health.
“The smell is so strong that I would want to put cement to cover their pipe,” he said.
Residents are not certain which of the factories from the area is causing their problem, but Liloan Mayor Vincent Duke Fras-co assured his office will look into it.
“I will have it checked. If there is something toxic there, then we need to find solutions,” said Frasco. (JPM)
