DENR, Local Government Ink Pact to Rehab Major River in Compostela Valley

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has signed a memorandum of agreement with the provincial government of Compostela Valley to enhance the cooperation between the department and the local government in rehabilitating the Naboc River.

DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu said the agreement marks the beginning of another relentless cleanup of a major river system contaminated by mine waste.

“We will not allow this river to die and we will relentlessly exhaust all means to bring it back to life, just as what we have successfully done in Boracay and now in Manila Bay,” he said.

The agreement provides that the DENR has the full supervision over all the activities that will be undertaken under the Rehabilitation Management Plan of the 24-kilometer Naboc River.

The provincial government, on the other hand, will implement the program, which includes desilting and quarrying or may partner with a third party contractor on these activities with zero-cost to the government.

For 34 years, irresponsible mining activities in Mt. Diwata caused the gradual degradation of Naboc River, a key source of irrigation water for rice farming in Compostela Valley.

In the latest water monitoring by Environmental Management Bureau (EMB), mercury and cyanide, which were used in small scale mining, were found in the river and have exceeded the standard water quality guideline.

Mercury level in Naboc River reached as high as 0.045 milligram per liter, in which the standard was only 0.002 milligram per liter; while cyanide reached 0.2 milligram per liter, which is supposed to be only 0.1 milligram per liter.

EMB also noted that wastewater from the households also contaminated the Naboc River. Fecal coliform in the river was reported as high as 160,000 most probable number (mpn) per 100 milliliter of water. The standard number of which is only 200 mpn per 100 milliliter of water.

Governor Jayvee Tyron Uy said he was unaware of the extent of the problem of Naboc River until President Rodrigo Duterte mentioned its status in his State of the Nation Address.

In his 2017 and 2018 SONA, President Duterte described the river below the mining village of Mt. Diwalwal as filthy with blackish color.

Taking into account the President’s remarks and the situation in Mt. Diwalwal, Cimatu created the Provincial Task Force Naboc River on July 11, 2018.

Series of fora and dialogues with the local leaders, indigenous peoples and the community were conducted by the task force to underscore the destruction in the environment, its effects to people’s health and livelihood, and the need to restore the river to its original condition.

Identified to be the main pollutants in the river, the gold processing plants in Mt. Diwalwal were issued cease and desist orders by DENR in March 2019.

A total of 1,797 ballmills and 31 carbon-in-pulp tank operators were closed and advised to transfer to the designated processing zone in Sitio Mabatas, Barangay Upper Ulip.

In the records of the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office in Compostela Valley, six individuals and an association of processors have started to relocate in the Mabatas processing zone.

With this development, Uy expressed his gratitude to the DENR in helping change the image of the province from an illegally-mined Diwalwal into a bastion of hope for the rivers in the country adversely affected by mining activities.

“We are thankful that we have a president that has a political will, and a (DENR) secretary who is always there with us, helping us achieve the initial steps that we need to reach our vision of a clean Naboc River and sustainable livelihood for our constituents in the area,” the governor said.

In the timeline of the DENR, the initial phase of desilting and quarrying will start in October 2019.

The governor expressed optimism that when cleaned, the river will bring more opportunities to the communities surrounding it.

“I am pretty sure that what we are doing right now will lead to a safer community of the next generation,” he said.

Witnessed by Cimatu, the agreement was signed by Uy and DENR Davao Regional Director Ruth Tawantawan in Davao City on Tuesday (July 16). (PIA-11)