DAVAO CITY -- The high levels of coliform in beaches are not only an environmental problem but for tourism too, an official said.
Davao Tourism Regional Director Roberto Alabado III said beach resorts in the region should observe proper waste disposal system to prevent problem of coliform contamination.
"It is also a tourism problem because it is one of our assets," Alabado said during the I-Speak Forum held at the City Hall on Thursday.
Coliforms are a "broad class of bacteria found in the environment, including the feces of man and other warm-blooded animals".
Alabado said the public must be aware of coliforms in beaches to avoid these disease-causing organisms.
"Even one of the best beaches in the world, naay coliform (there's coliform). Sa akong nalibot nga mga resorts, wala lang na sila naga ingon pero ako makabalo kong anaa nay E-Coli (I've went around the resorts, they may not tell but there's E-coli)," he said.
Councilor Leo Avila III earlier warned that some of the beaches in the city are "not healthy for swimming," as the rivers have been found with high levels of coliform in the recent Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) water quality assessment.
He said results from the 2014 water quality assessment of the EMB showed that the city had "failed miserably."
Copy of the report showed that total coliform found for both downstream and upstream of Davao River was estimated at 4,900 to 1,887,000 most probable number (mpn) per 100 ml wherein the standard level should only be 1,000mpn per 100 ml.
With a downstream standard level of 200 mpn per 100 ml, fecal coliform in Davao River was estimated at 9,600 to 293,000 mpn per 100 ml while for the upstream, with a standard level of 100 mpn per 100 ml, it was found with 1,700 to 8,700 mpn/100 ml of fecal coliform.
Talomo River was found with a total number of 1,006 to 456,000 mpn per 100 ml with around 414 to 183,000mpn per 100 ml of fecal coliform.
The report showed that the rise in the coliform level was due to human and animal wastes, houses located near the river, poultry and hog. (Sun.Star Davao/Sunnex)