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ILOILO – The provincial government is leading a quarry summit this Wednesday to address the depleting sand and gravel resources.
Gov. Arthur Defensor Sr. earlier raised his concern on the possibility of a crisis on sand and gravel filling materials. He identified rivers in the towns of Mina, Pototan and Barotac Viejo – where most of the materials were taken – as having depleted resources.
Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) officer-in-charge Arturo Cangrejo said river systems in the province are slowly depleting because of the increasing need for filling materials in the construction industry.
Among the topics that will be discussed during the summit is the possibility of getting filling materials from the mountains.
“We will be looking at areas where we could possibly get the materials to be used by our construction industry,” Cangrejo said.
Based on the records of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) in Western Visayas, Cangrejo said there are areas in the mountains of northern Iloilo where filling materials are available.
“MGB gave us a map with the data. However, we still have to check it because if those materials are used for agricultural lands, we can no longer use them. We still have to discuss those concerns,” he added.
The Nov. 9 summit invited related agencies namely the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Environmental Management Bureau, Department of Agriculture, Department of Public Works and Highways, the local government units, quarry operators, and other experts.
Cangrejo said they are expecting more or less 250 participants to join the summit. (PNA)
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