Iloilo River: City’s biggest septic tank

ONE HUNDRED FORTY of the total 180 barangays in Iloilo City have virtually made the once beautiful and majestic Iloilo River as giant septic tank.

This is the reason why the river at the heart of the metropolis is dying, said City Environment and Natural Resources Office (Cenro) chief, Engr. Noel Hechanova.

Compounding the pollution problem is the wastewater from hospitals, hotels, commercial establishments, and households freely discharged to the river.

Fishkills have become a regular occurrence at the river because of the unabated pollution it absorbs.

“There’s a problem of low dissolved oxygen caused by organic load from human wastes. The impact is fish kill and death of aquatic animals and plants. Septic tanks should serve as partial treatment of human wastes considering the city has no centralized sewage treatment facility,” Hechanova told The Daily Guardian.

“We should build a sewage treatment facility to at least reduce the organic load being discharged to the river,” he added.  Read more…