The Negros Occidental provincial government has obtained an Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Environment Management Bureau (DENR-EMB) to dispose of the lahar deposit accumulated after the series of eruptions of Kanlaon Volcano.
Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz II posted a video on social media Nov. 11 showing a copy of the letter from EMB-Negros Island Region OIC director Vicente Losbañes dated Nov. 7, and addressed to Provincial Engineer Ernie Mapa, stating that the ECC has been granted.
The project covers the clearing operation of lahar deposits from the Ibid Creek in Barangay Biak na Bato in La Castellana town.
Diaz said about 67,000 cubic meters of lahar deposits can be extracted from the area and disposed of through buyer-haulers in Negros Occidental supported by the authorizing ordinance passed by the Provincial Board.
“We are going to invite all those interested to haul the lahar deposits to restore the waterways to its original and natural condition and avoid possible hazards from happening (in) the future,” he added.
The provincial government needed to secure an ECC for the clearing project as Ibid Creek is situated within the Mt. Kanlaon Natural Park, a protected zone.
Earlier, its personnel were only allowed to conduct dredging and stacking of the debris along the riverbanks. | PNA
