ILOILO City – The source of the oil and grease contamination in the Iloilo River remains a mystery after inspections cleared more than 10 hotels and restaurants along the Diversion Road in Mandurriao district of environmental violations.
The Iloilo City Government inspected the establishments from July 29 to 31 as it intensified efforts to trace the thick layer of oil and grease discovered floating on a section of the river near Diversion Road on July 22.
General Services Office (GSO) head Engineer Neil Ravena said inspection teams examined the establishments’ grease traps, wastewater disposal systems and other facilities that could have contributed to the pollution.
“We appreciate the cooperation of the hotels and restaurants. None of them refused the inspection or prevented our team from entering. They allowed us to inspect their grease traps and wastewater management systems so we could verify whether there was any possible source of contamination,” Ravena said.
However, investigators found neither environmental violations nor evidence directly linking any of the inspected establishments to the river contamination.
“Based on our inspections so far, we have not found any violations. The establishments we inspected appear to be complying with the required environmental standards, and we did not discover anything that would directly connect them to the incident,” he said.
The inspections formed part of the city government’s expanded investigation after residents reported the unusual accumulation of oil and grease in the river.
Ravena had earlier said all hotels and restaurants near the affected section would undergo random inspections until authorities could identify the source.
Despite several days of inspection and validation, however, investigators have yet to establish where the pollutants originated.
“Our investigation is continuing. We will not stop until we identify the source of the oil and grease. If necessary, we will expand the inspections and coordinate with other government agencies to ensure that the Iloilo River is protected,” he said.
The GSO will inspect more commercial establishments and nearby areas to trace the source, prevent another contamination incident and protect the Iloilo River./PN
