Oro river to undergo more 'water test'

THE Cagayan de Oro Sanitary Landfill Task Force is set to conduct three water tests in the different areas of the Cagayan de Oro rivers to verify

the reports on garbage leakage that has been causing skin diseases among the residents living in the `affected’ barangays.

City Councilor Suzette Magtajas-Daba, chairperson of the task force, said

the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the Departnment of Environment and Natural Resources-Environmental Bureau (DENR-EMB) will also get water samples from the rivers.

“The city will get water samples in 5 areas, while the other agencies will cover more or less 8 to 10 areas,” Magtajas-Daba said in an interview.

The task force, MagtajasDaba said, has decided to carry out 3 parallel tests so that results would be accurate and many areas will be covered in the whole stretch of the river and tributaries.

It can be recalled that a test conducted by a private testing center in the Oro rivers has showed that water quality is “within tolerable level”.

The tests, conducted last September, uses pH, temperature, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and dissolved oxygen (DO), as sign posts to identify if the water is safe and healthy.

However, Magtajas-Daba said river-related complaints have surfaced on October, and not on

September where the test was conducted.

“So it is possible that there are already changes of the river’s quality. So we need to double-check, triple-check para maklaro tanan ug para once and for all, makaingon ang tanan nga dili kita bias, but we are independent,” she added.

City Local Environment and Natural Resources Office (Clenro) Chief Edwin Dael has welcomed the move, saying the tests could uncover the other pollutants of the river.

Dael said the tests could also be a way that irresponsible persons will be held accountable for polluting the river.

“On the part sa Clenro, dili gyud namo angkunon nga ga-leak ang landfill, because we conduct monitoring there everyday. We also conducted tests and the result was that river water is well within standard, so akong duda naay lain sources of pollutants,” he said.

“Dunay unverified reports of these pollutants, and ato ning gahinay-hinayan ug investigate,” he added.