Fish kill hits Negros Occidental town

A portion of the river at Pontevedra town in Negros Occidental with dead fish that may have been caused by the pollution. Romy Parreño

A fish kill was reported in the rivers of Pontevedra town, Negros Occidental on Tuesday that could have been caused by pollution, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources - Environment Management Bureau (DENR-EMB) Region 6 said.

Engineer Desiderio Figueroa, head of the Provincial Environment Management Unit, said upon conducting an inspection on Wednesday morning, they saw manifestations of a possible pollution such as discoloration of water and existence of dead fish in the river.

However, they cannot yet conclude or ascertain the cause pending the result of the water sample analysis.

"We conducted the water sampling from downstream to upstream areas. The result is expected to come out within the next seven to 10 days," Figueroa added.

Dam collapse

Meanwhile, the sugar milling firm Central Azucarera de la Carlota Inc. (CACI) said it is closely monitoring the water levels of the impounding dams at Barangay Najalin in nearby La Carlota City.

The sugar mill, a subsidiary of Roxas Holdings Inc. (RHI), said the management is looking into the incident that could have caused the collapse of its dam.

Caci Administration Division Head Ramonito Lastima said the collapse was caused by the spilling over of water from the first dam to the second dam.

Lastima said they did not expect that the dam will collapse as the structure underwent rehabilitation last year.

"We are investigating the event and are looking into the integrity and quality of work in the rehabilitation done," he said, adding that "it is unfortunate that this event has caused concerns among our communities, but rest assured we will resolve this matter with urgency."

A joint team from the firm's Environmental Management Services and Factory Operations has put up sand bags to contain the leak as early as May 6.

The CACI said it is currently conducting regular water sampling for testing in strategic areas of the river.

Also, they are coordinating with the concerned local government unit, DENR, Department of Agriculture (DA), Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA), and Bureau of Fish and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) for the implementation of other necessary protective measures.

Liability

The DENR-EMB has yet to receive a report from the company or local government on the extent of damage.

In terms of liability, Figueroa said they will just endorse the result of the water analysis to the Pollution Adjudication Board (PAB) in Manila.

"It (PAB) is the one determining the corresponding penalty for the sugar milling plant once proven to have liability on the incident," Figueroa said, as he warned residents to refrain from consuming dead fish to avoid possible negative effect to health.

Disastrous event

For Pontevedra Mayor Jose Benito Alonso this "disastrous event" has affected the livelihood of many residents.

There are five barangays—Don Salvador Benedicto, San Juan, 1, 2 and 3—that are affected as these have aqueducts of the rivers connected to the firm's collapsed dam, Alonso said.

"It would take years for our rivers to recover," he added.

Before the dam collapse, the mayor said he already received reports from CACI personnel that its dam has leaked and that he alerted all fishpond owners.

Some haciendas on the upland areas have temporarily shutdown their water pumps.

Alonso said the water discharged by the collapsed dam may have been treated as it has no foul odor, yet he said this is still not safe.

The dam may have discharged a huge volume as water level in one of the bridges of the town has increased to at least one meter, he added.

Long-term solution

This is not the first time a fish kill occurred in Pontevedra as two the same incidents were also reported last year.

Alonso urged the DENR to provide long-term solution to the problem like, maybe, the firm has to build a bigger dam to contain its wastes.

"If the firms can get away with it, then we will continue to suffer over and over again," the mayor said, suggesting that CACI should pay for the damage it has allegedly caused to the residents and local fishing communities. — BAP/KG, GMA News