Oil spill damage continues in Guimaras

November 29th, 2008 by Site Administrator

THE oil sludge may not be visible anymore but the damage to the marine resources of Guimaras Island has persisted two years after a massive oil spill ravaged the island, according to scientists.

Scientific studies showed abnormalities in breeding and growth of mangroves, sea grass, marine animals and sea cucumbers, and scientists attributed these mainly to the contamination of the marine environment by bunker fuel from the sunken MT Solar I.

The studies, presented on Thursday during the opening of the two-day Second National Conference on Solar I Oil Spill, said the marine resources were still suffering from stress brought by the contamination despite showing signs of recovery.

“There are good signs showing recovery but the studies show continued stress to marine resources brought by the contamination,” said Dr. Resurreccion Sadaba, UPV Oil Spill Response program manager.

At least 100 scientists, government officials and agencies that responded to the disaster attended the conference held at the University of the Philippines in the Visayas campus.

The oil spill was detected on Aug. 11, 2006 after the MT Solar 1, chartered by Petron Corp., sank in stormy seas southeast of Guimaras spilling more than 2.1 million liters of bunker fuel oil it was transporting from Bataan to Zamboanga.

It was considered as the country’s worst oil spill, with around 8,580 families or 42,000 persons affected in Guimaras and some parts of Iloilo.

It also contaminated 65 barangays, according to Rosario Cabrera, Western Visayas director of the Office of Civil Defense.

The studies were mostly undertaken at the 1,143-hectare Taklong Island National Marine Reserve (Tinmar) in Nueva Valencia town, the hardest hit among the island-province’s five municipalities.

Sadaba, who chaired the conference, said his team – through six monitoring stations in the Tinmar mangroves – found canopy covers and leaf sizes reduced significantly.

The study, made between October 2007 to September 2008 in six monitoring stations, also showed tree deformities.

The mangroves were the worst hit among the contaminated marine resources.

The studies noted that sodium-potassium balance in oiled areas was higher compared to areas unaffected by the oil spill, Sadaba said.

He also raised concern over the possible entry of heavy metals like copper, lead, nickel and zinc – which were found to have a higher concentration in contaminated areas – into the food chain.

Sadaba said it was too early to conclude that the trees would fully recover.

Nestor Burgos Jr., Philippine Daily Inquirer