By Ercel Maandig
Cagayan de Oro-The Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) of Northern Mindanao on Tuesday has reported a water quality status of Macajalar Bay and it found out that it already reaches its alarming level, according to EMB-10 Regional Director Reynaldo Digamo Jr.
Digamo said that according to its 5 years data from 2018 to present, there’s no improvement they’ve seen yet from a possible intervention from the local government units.”The LGU is the one who will take action on any intervention like implementing and imposing national laws,but it seems there’s no positive movement to minimize coliform content were contribution of the causes is coming from respective informal settlers” Digamo added.
For the past 5 years data, the more than 1,000 fetal coliform count of Macajalar Bay didn’t lower down; instead, it was increasing that causes EMB-10 declared it in an alarming Macajalar Bay classified as Class A to C.
In this classification,the normal fetal coliform count is 50 mpn(most probable number) per liter but as present reading,it reaches over 1,000 mpn.
Big contribution on the high fetal coliform count is the existence of more piggery that directly discharge to water ways going to Macajalar Bay and the highest is in the bay area of the town of Opol.
The regional office was already coordinated the office of the municipal Mayor for the said matter.
The Philippine News Agency was able to reach out to the municipal Mayor’s office but Mayor Jay Bag-o was not around.
The Inter-Agency Technical Committee that composed of Local town and city Executives,EMB, Department of Tourism, Department of Interior and Local Government and other selected local stakeholders will convene this month to tackle the matter specially if affects the tourism industry who now embrace a full swing opening of tourism starting this summer season.
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