• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
More than 2,500 tons of molasses from the Binalbagan-Isabela Sugar Company (BISCOM) were reported to have spilled into a river in Binalbagan, Negros Occidental.
The incident April 19 led to a fish kill in one of the four affected barangays.
Forester Lucia Salazar, supervising environment specialist of the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office-Kabankalan, said April 22 that the molasses spill affected the barangays of Canmoros, Progreso, Marina, and San Juan.
Salazar also said fish kill has been reported in Canmoros although only minimal.
Because of the intense heat that reached 43 degrees Celsius on April 19, some 50 percent of the 4,980 tons of molasses in the sugar manufacturing company’s pond-type stockpile spilled into the Binalbagan River.
Its management immediately placed sandbags to prevent further spillage of molasses into the river and put bio-enzymes to lessen its odor, Salazar said.
Binalbagan Mayor Alejandro Mirasol said April 22 that the molasses spill, about one-kilometer long, is now “under control”.
Containment measures have already been implemented to limit the spread of the molasses, Mirasol said.
The municipal government, in collaboration with BISCOM and environmental agencies, are now actively working on the cleanup and recovery efforts, he added.
Mirasol further said that residents of the affected communities are joining in the removal of molasses spill from the river.
The mayor said the sugar milling company will be held liable for the molasses spill, and the penalties to be imposed will be determined by the Environment Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
Salazar said they already took water samples from the Binalbagan River for examination.
She raised the possibility that the water source of residents at the riverbank may be affected, but it is still safe to consume water sourced from deep wells. | GB
