Mayor blames molasses for fishkill in Negros Occidental

UPDATED 3:15 p.m. - A "molasses spill" in La Carlota City in Negros Occidental was blamed for a fish kill in nearby La Carlota and Pontevedra Rivers over the weekend. La Carlota Mayor Jose Ma. Alonso said the 3,500 tons of spilled molasses were from Central Azucarera de La Carlota, Inc. (CACI) on Friday. Alonso said the molasses spilled into the tip of the Nahalin River in La Carlota that flowed into the Marayo River in Pontevedra, the news site Visayan Daily Star reported on Monday. The mayor said the molasses spill may have reduced the dissolved oxygen in the rivers causing the fish to die. Citing information reaching him, the mayor said fish died in the Marayo River in Pontevedra and the crabs crawled out of the water. Alonso also said he did not know if Pontevedra’s famous Angel Wings (Diwal) seashells were affected by the spill. However, he said they are still waiting for the official findings of the Environment Management Bureau (EMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). Meanwhile, CACI said it has been working with the local government units of the affected towns and the DENR in collecting and containing the molasses that have accidentally flowed into the Najalin River in La Carlota. CACI said it is preventing the molasses from reaching the Marayo River in Pontevedra. The Najalin River is tributary of the Marayo River. Tests conducted on Sunday showed that water levels in Najalin River were back to normal. Only a minimal volume of molasses that spilled is estimated to have reached the Najalin River. According to CACI, the tank that burst was facing inland and CACI managed to contain the molasses within its compound. High tide caused molasses to spread High tide also caused the molasses spill to spread about a kilometer and a half from the poblacion of Pontevedra to Barangay Canroma, Alonso added. The mayor said he met with the manager of the sugar mill to discuss a clean up of the river and extending assistance for those affected by the fish kill. According to CACI, it will continue "the recovery of molasses and cleanup of the affected areas until it has ascertained that the situation is back to normal." "We assure our stakeholders and the public that this unfortunate incident is an isolated case and no toxic material nor any untreated wastewater were discharged from the factory," CACI said. "The spillage only contained molasses, a byproduct of sugar manufacturing, which is also used as feedstock in the production of other food products," CACI added. Alonso said, as of Sunday, the bulk of the molasses in the water appeared to have dissolved. According to the report, the water samples that the DENR took from La Carlota showed that they were clear of molasses as of Sunday, the report said. A DENR regional team is expected to arrive Monday to take more water samples, the report added. CACI stopped operations for 22 hours to conduct repairs but as of Sunday had resumed operations. CACI said it does not foresee any further disruptions in its operations because of the incident. –VVP, GMANews.TV Statement of CENTRAL AZUCARERA DE LA CARLOTA, INC. on the molasses spill: Central Azucarera De La Carlota, Inc. (CACI) has been working cooperatively with the guidance and approval of the local government units of the affected towns and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in collecting and containing the molasses that have accidentally flowed into the Najalin River in La Carlota and prevent it from reaching the Marayo River in Pontevedra. The Najalin River is tributary of the Marayo River. Tests conducted on Sunday show water levels in Najalin River to be back to normal. Only a minimal volume of molasses that spilled is estimated to have reached the Najalin River. This is because the tank that burst was facing inland and CACI was able to immediately contain the molasses within the compound. CACI will continue the recovery of molasses and cleanup of the affected areas until it has ascertained that the situation is back to normal. We assure our stakeholders and the public that this unfortunate incident is an isolated case and no toxic material nor any untreated wastewater were discharged from the factory. The spillage only contained molasses, a byproduct of sugar manufacturing, which is also used as feedstock in the production of other food products. CACI resumed milling operations 22 hours after the incident. We do not foresee any further disruptions in our operations as a result of the incident. As a socially responsible corporate citizen, we will continue to promote the welfare of our community and protect the environment.