Oil spill keeps punishing mangroves
April 21st, 2009 by Site Administrator
ILOILO CITY – Mangroves in Guimaras continue to suffer from the effects of one of the worst oil spills in the country, three years after the disaster.
Scientists have discovered more abnormalities in mangroves that were contaminated by the oil spill, which pointed to the continued effects of the disaster.
Dr. Resurreccion Sadaba, program manager of the University of the Philippines in the Visayas (UPV) Oil Spill Response Program, said recent samplings on mangroves showed “albinism” among trees.
This is characterized by the pale color of mangrove saplings instead of its normal green appearance.
“This can be attributed to the effects of the oil contamination,” Sadaba said in a briefing on Wednesday attended by Sen. Pia Cayetano.
Cayetano chaired the Senate committee on environment when the oil spill occurred on Aug. 11, 2006 after the MT Solar 1, chartered by Petron Corp., sank in stormy seas southeast of Guimaras and spilled more than 2.1 million liters of bunker fuel oil, which it was transporting from Bataan to Zamboanga.
Sadaba said they took samples of mangrove trees afflicted with albinism during field studies on Jan. 16-19 at the 1,143-hectare Taklong Island National Marine Reserve (Tinmar) in Nueva Valencia town, the hardest hit by the oil spill among the island-province’s five municipalities.
He said they expected the growth of these mangrove trees to be stunted because of the abnormalities.
Earlier studies conducted among mangroves, which suffered most from the oil sludge, showed their continued defoliation and the reduction of leaf size and canopy cover.
“The recent findings support our earlier conclusions that damage to marine resources continue to persist despite signs of recovery,” Sadaba told the Inquirer.
Scientific studies also showed abnormalities in the breeding and growth of mangroves, sea grass, marine animals and sea cucumbers, which were attributed mainly to the contamination of the marine environment by bunker fuel from the sunken vessel.
Sadaba cited the need for additional studies because the mangroves still showed the effects of the oil spill three years after it occurred.
Cayetano said more scientific studies should also be conducted on the condition of residents who suffered from the oil spill and the impact of rehabilitation programs on them.
During the same briefing, Provincial Board Member Josephine de la Cruz said that a significant amount of funds allotted for Guimaras have not been released to the province.
The Save Our Seas Panay-Guimaras, a nongovernment organization, said the livelihood of residents has not fully recovered because of decreased fish catch.