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[av_heading heading=’ Moratorium on new quarries mulled ‘ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY GLENDA SOLOGASTOA
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Friday, Agusto 4, 2017
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ILOILO – The provincial government may consider imposing a moratorium on new applicants for quarry operations.
A dam and three bridges are at risk due to excessive quarrying for sand and gravel in Leon, Janiuay and Calinog towns, according to the Regional Development Council (RDC).
“I may consider ordering a moratorium on the issuance of new quarry permits (but) ang existing indi mauntat,” said Gov. Arthur Defensor Sr.
Today, Defensor is leading an inter-agency meeting to come up with a comprehensive plan addressing excessive sand and gravel quarrying, especially in rivers near public infrastructures such as bridges.
Expected to attend are representatives from the National Irrigation Administration (NIA), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), and Environmental Management Bureau (EMB).
As to mountain quarrying as alternative to river quarrying, Defensor said this needed further study.
“Ang assessment sang DENR, waay pa gid man sang immediate danger nga maubos ang balas kag bato ta, pero sa malayo pa lang gusto ko preparahan. We will do away with quarrying sa suba and let’s start quarrying sa mountains,” said Defensor.
Two committees of the RDC inspected several quarry sites and were alarmed with what they discovered, according to Ro Ann Bacal, regional director of the National Economic Development Authority and head of RDC’s Regional Project Monitoring Committee (RPMC).
An inspection with another RDC committee (the Infrastructure Development Committee) on July 6 discovered that the National Irrigation Administration diversion dam in Barangay Anonang, Leon was in danger of being damaged severely because of the lowering of the riverbed caused by massive quarrying downstream.
RPMC also inspected the old and new Suage bridges in the municipality of Janiuay and found out that their foundations were now exposed.
This was due to the continued erosion of the riverbed, said Bacal.
In Calinog town, the foundations of the Jalaur bridge were exposed, too, due to the degradation of the riverbed.
According to Bacal, quarrying activities were being done within the one-kilometer distance from the bridges – something that is not allowed under rules of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
RPMC also noted that quarry operators engage in excessive quarrying; they excavate more than the prescribed one-meter extraction depth resulting to scoured river banks and degraded river beds./PN
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