The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has mobilized a team with partner agencies and local government units (LGUs) to contain and assess the effects of a massive wastewater spill in Bais City, Negros Oriental.
Around 255,000 cubic meters of molasses wastewater leaked into Bais Bay on October 26 from the Universal Robina Corporation (URC) ethanol distillery plant, posing a major threat to marine life within the Tañon Strait Protected Seascape. Bais City has since declared a state of calamity.
“Initial water quality assessments conducted by the DENR-Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) indicate low levels of dissolved oxygen in affected waters, a condition that may cause fishkill and other adverse impacts on aquatic ecosystems,” the DENR said in a statement.
The DENR regional offices and the EMB are working closely with the Philippine Coast Guard, local governments, and the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Central Visayas (BFAR-7). BFAR has issued an advisory banning fishing, collection, and consumption of aquatic products from affected areas pending further evaluation.
The spill occurred after the dike of Lagoon 6 in URC’s settling pond collapsed, releasing about 90 percent of its spent wash into nearby waters and causing visible discoloration in North Bais Bay.
URC has pledged to finish dike repairs by November 4, provide relief to affected residents, and support an ecological damage assessment with local institutions, including Silliman University.
A technical task force composed of experts from the DENR, EMB, BFAR, Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB), and other partners will conduct hydrodynamic modeling and environmental impact studies to guide rehabilitation.
The DENR will also review URC’s Environmental Compliance Certificate and related permits. Meanwhile, the BMB continues regular water quality monitoring and will work with Sukat ng Kalikasan experts to determine the economic value of environmental damages and assess long-term impacts on the Tañon Strait ecosystem.
The Sukat ng Kalikasan initiative is a joint project of the DENR and the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) SIBOL Project for biodiversity and natural resource conservation.
On November 5, DENR-7 and the Negros Island Region will convene the executive committee of the Tañon Strait Protected Seascape Management Board to outline rehabilitation strategies and ensure sustained protection of affected areas.