CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – Provincial Government Environment and Natural Resources Officer (PG-ENRO) Arthur Punsalan said the Environment and Management Bureau (EMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has issued a Notice of Violation to Far East Alcohol Corp (FEACO) in Apalit town due to accidental disposal of molasses in Pampanga River.
The Notice of Violation was served during the overall inspection conducted by the PG-ENRO along with Apalit Mayor Peter Nucum and Rey Cruz of the DENR-EMB yesterday.
The inspection was done to determine the compliance of FEACO with the basic requirements needed to mitigate the issues and concerns that apparently caused the fish kill in the areas of Masantol and Macabebe.
Punsalan said they also inspected the alleged tunnel where the rain water and other source of water is being run through going to Pampanga River and the tanks carrying thousand capacity litres of molasses that caused the fish kill.
Punsalan revealed that FEACO is conducting some engineering and environmental interventions as of the moment.
He added that they requested to commission a structural engineer to issue a certification of structural integrity of all the tanks so that the accidental disposal of molasses in Pampanga River will never happen again.
The environment chief also disclosed that FEACO is requesting for the relief of the suspension. However, officials maintained that the suspension will only be lifted once the mandatory requirements of the EMB-DENR and the local government were complied.
“We are not anti-investors but we are pro-life and pro-environment. We cannot compromise the security of our environment and the security of our people,” Punsalan stressed.
It can be recalled that the Committee on Environment Protection and Natural Resources of the Provincial Board has called an inquiry to address the disposal of molasses in the Pampanga River that allegedly caused the fish kill.
Punsalan said the DENR conducted water testing in the three different areas – before, after and the area of FEACO – to determine the existence of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and the dissolve oxygen.
The PG-ENRO, EMB-DENR and the local government unit here are set to conduct another inspection after a week to check the development in the said alcohol corporation. –LIEZEL CAYANAN/PIO