Boracay Water plugs illegally connected pipes

BORACAY Island Water Co., Inc. said it has plugged 36 more illegally connected pipes to the island’s drainage system.

“We need everyone to act responsibly and to properly connect to a reliable sewer system to permanently put a stop to the illegal connections of sewer lines to the drainage system which is intended solely for rain water and not wastewater,” said Joseph Michael A. Santos, Boracay Water general manager and chief operating officer, in a statement.

The plugging of the illegal pipe connections is part of the continuing efforts by the company to ensure proper wastewater management on the island in coordination with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA).

“These illegal acts of violators have become the main cause of our system overflows polluting our waters,” Mr. Santos said.

Boracay Water said after plugging the pipes, it has been undertaking similar efforts along the beachfront to help trace and investigate pipelines illegally connected to the drainage system and releasing used water directly to the beach.

Boracay Water, a unit of Manila Water Co., Inc., has been providing assistance to DENR and TIEZA in identifying establishments that release untreated wastewater or used water into the government’s drainage system. —