The heavily polluted Mambulao Bay ... a
scientific study will soon be conducted to determine the degree of damaged that
the gold mining operations in the municipality are causing the bay. - MWBuzzpic
by ALFREDO P HERNANDEZ
By ALFREDO P HERNANDEZ
A GOVERNMENT chemist has taken interest
in studying the degree of pollution at the Mambulao Bay in Jose Panganiban,
CamNorte.
Elyson Encarnacion, a licensed chemist
with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), will gather core samples
of the bay’s sediments and date the layers.
He told MWBuzz in an email that once he
had established the timeline, he will analyze the mercury content of the soils
per year.
“This will result to a profile which
will show the years when Mambulao sediments had increased in mercury content –
a possible indication that mining was rampant during the years covered by his
study.”
Encarnacion, a graduate student of the
UP-Diliman in Quezon City, is currently taking up a Master of Science in
Environmental Science.
He said his Mambulao project will form
the core of his graduate thesis that could be used as a scientific evidence to
prove or disprove the alarming state of the bay.
“This could also be a tool that can be
used to create precautionary measures and/or rehabilitation programs which can
benefit both the bay and the residents of Mambulao.
Encarnacion said that his adviser and
professors have been enthusiastic about project and have given him positive
feedback.
“I am one of those trained to analyze
mercury in water and other materials such as soil and other compounds.
“A few months ago, I have learned about
the pollution at Mambulaol Bay, which is most probably due to the proximity of
small scale and large scale mining areas,” Encarnacion said.
He said that he got the idea of using
Mambulao Bay for his graduate thesis after reading a number of articles in
MWBuzz on the worsening state of Mambulao Bay as a result of gold mining
operations in the area.
The bay had become the receptacle of
mining wastes from the time the defunct Philippine Iron Mines (PIM) and the
gold miner San Mauricio Gold Mines began its operations during the 1940s.
Both miners did not have ponds to
contain their mining wastes, which were dumped into Mambulao Bay.
Likewise, the small-scale gold mining
operations in the municipality have of late contributed greatly to the bay’s
silt and mud pollution.
For comments, email the writer:
ahernandez@thenational.com.pg and alfredophernandez@y7mail.com
This is a good study that could be used as basis for present and future environmental decisions of our local leaders
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