FIVE rivers situated in urban barangays in Cebu City are considered dead, an official of the Cebu City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CCENRO) said on Tuesday, Jan. 29.
Nida Cabrera, CCENRO head, said these “dead rivers” are the downstream areas of the Mahiga Creek in Barangay Mabolo, portions of the Butuanon River in Barangay Binaliw, Bacayan and Talamban and river systems situated in Barangays Lahug, Bulacao and Guadalupe.
Cabrera said pollution due to houses that encroach on the river and industries situated near the river bank is the reason these river systems are dead.
“We now consider the downstream portion of the rivers as dead as they are highly polluted and contaminated. Even fish can’t survive in the current condition of these rivers,” Cabrera said in Cebuano.
On Friday, Feb. 1, the CCENRO, along with the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (Penro) in Argao, will check and document the condition of the Bulacao River for three days.
A dialogue with barangay officials, residents and establishment owners living or operating near the river system will also be conducted on Feb. 20.
As part of the CCENRO’s campaign to clean up at least an 11-kilometer stretch of the Bulacao river, the community will participate in a clean-up drive of its downstream area on Feb. 22.
“We hope that the clean-up would help restore the river back to a Class D, which could be liveable for fish,” Cabrera said.
Since CCENRO does not have funds for a river clean-up, Cabrera said she plans to ask Mayor Tomas Osmeña for a supplemental budget. (From PAC of SuperBalita Cebu, JKV)