Boracay’s groundwater still contaminated – DENR, DOH

By Tara Yap

ILOILO CITY – Despite the government’s ongoing rehabilitation program, the groundwater of several barangays in world-famous Boracay Island remains contaminated, based on initial findings of the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB), an attached agency of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ (DENR).

This drainage pipe is supposed to discharge water more than a kilometer away from the shoreline of world-famous Boracay Island. More than halfway into the six-month closure, government tests found that groundwater in the resort island is still contaminated. (Tara Yap/ MANILA BULLETIN)

The EMB-Western Visayas’ findings were verified by the Department of Health (DOH).

“The DOH examined 21 wells in Boracay and all failed the safety standard,” said Atty. Ramar Niel Pascua, chief legal officer of EMB-Western Visayas.

The regional EMB office initially conducted samplings from water wells in Barangays Balabag, ManocManoc and Yapak last June.

Water samples found were way beyond the safe standard for coliform level, which is 100 most probable number (MPN) per 100 milliliters (mL).

Coliform level in Balabag and ManocManoc registered more than 1,000/ 100 ML each while Yapak’s was around 400MPN/100 mL.

Pascua told the Manila Bulletin that the EMB then asked the regional DOH office to conduct a separate test last July.

“We wanted DOH-6 to intervene because this is already a health issue,” Pascua noted.

EMB-Western Visayas tried to push for the closure of the water wells in the three barangays of Boracay, but local residents opposed it.

“They said they will just use it to wash their clothes because it would be very expensive to buy water,” Pascua said.

DOH-Western Visayas is closely working with the local government of Malay, Aklan, which has jurisdiction over Boracay Island, to better inform and educate the people on the health risks posed by the contaminated ground water.

Prior to the decision of President Duterte to close the island to tourists for six months to address environmentyal and sanitation issues, EMB-Western Visayas already discovered that that several hotels and other business establishments are illegally flushing sewage into the island’s drainage system, designed only to hold excess rainwater which finds its way to the sea.