Fish kill affects 11 Lanao Sur towns around lake

ILIGAN CITY —Task Force Bangon Marawi (TFBM) confirmed Friday that 11 towns in the province of Lanao del Sur, located around Lanao Lake, are affected by fish kill in the lake area.

But TFBM assistant secretary Felix Castro said the task force could not yet confirm the cause of the fish kill, but said concerned agencies are investigating the matter.

"Concerned agencies are looking into the matter," Castro said in a local radio interview, amid fears the fish in the lake might not be fit for human consumption. 

He cited reports indicating that the fish kill could be due to any of the three possible causes --poisoning from gun powder of bombs and explosives used during the Marawi City siege, depletion of oxygen due to changes in water temperature, and volcanic activity in the middle of Lanao Lake.

The towns affected by the fish kill included Marantao, Tamparan, Poona Bayabao, Ramain, Ganassi, Masiu, Balindong, Bacolod-Kalawi, Lumbayanague, Bayang-Lumbatan, and Taraka, Castro said. —LBG, GMA News