2 tons of waste fished from Calahunan Creek

THE Iloilo City General Services Office (GSO) collected more or less two tons of waste from Calahunan Creek in Mandurriao district during a cleanup drive on May 17, 2019.

The activity was part of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ (DENR) Water Quality Management Area (WAQMA) initiative to maintain the quality of water along Calahunan Creek.

“WAQMA monitors the water quality of different bodies of water in the city. They identified Calahunan Creek wherein we gathered 1,830 kilograms of wastes which impede the flow and pollute the water,” said GSO Assistant Department Head Neil Ravena.

Ravena said the collected wastes included organic materials and dead animals.

“One of the factors why there were such wastes collected in Calahunan Creek is because of informal settlers. Relocation will be a solution just like what we did in Iloilo River,” Ravena added.

Republic Act 9275 or Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004 tasks DENR, in coordination with National Water Resources Board (NWRB), to designate certain areas as WAQMAs such as watershed, river basins or water resources regions.

WAQMAs aim to protect the water body and its tributaries by keeping water quality within the standards. (PIO)