CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – “Let’s not wait for the worst to happen. Ban the consumption of fish and other aquatic products affected by recent fish kill,” thus said Governor Lilia “Nanay” G. Pineda as she called an emergency meeting at the Capitol’s Executive House last Friday.
This came as municipal agriculture officers of the affected towns of Candaba, Masantol, Macabebe, Apalit, San Luis and San Simon reported the incidence of fish kill along Pampanga River in the past three days.
Said meeting was attended by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), mayors, and MAOs of towns affected by the phenomenon.
Governor Pineda urged the municipal officials of said towns to issue an advisory forbidding residents from consuming affected aquatic products as well as enlist village watchmen to assist in monitoring the situation.
Gonzalo Coloma, BFAR representative, clarified however that their recent tests showed low levels of dissolved oxygen in affected areas and is the lead cause for the fish kill.
Coloma also stressed, the affected fish collected from said event didn’t exhibit chemical smell which could indicate water contamination if any.
However, Pineda was firm on imposing the ban to prevent any untoward incident. The governor also ordered a separate examination on the affected fish and water to determine any other underlying factors such as pesticide contamination, bacterial infestation, and heavy metal poisoning, among others.
The governor also ordered an immediate dredging and recovery of domestic waste illegally dumped along Pampanga River to avoid suspected bacterial infestation which also causes the depletion of oxygen in bodies of water.
Meanwhile, Pineda instructed the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office led by Elizabeth Baybayan to immediately distribute food assistance to some 4000 registered fisher folk whose livelihood is affected by the fish kill.
