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[av_heading heading=’‘MINIMAL EFFECT’ DPWH: We’re not killing mangroves ‘ 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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ILOILO City – Mangroves at the Iloilo River won’t be adversely affected by the expansion of the Iloilo Esplanade, according to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Region 6.
Citing their experience constructing the first and second phases of the esplanade, Assistant Regional Director Al Fruto said esplanades 4 and 6 would have minimal effect on the mangroves.
The Iloilo River, some 15 kilometers long, is home to an estimated 22 mangrove species.
Regional Director Jim Sampulna of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) expressed concern the other day that the land reclamation for an embankment from Sen. Benigno S. Aquino Jr. Avenue Bridge to Jalandoni Bridge (Esplanade 4) and all the way to Forbes Bridge (Esplanade 6) would deprive mangroves of seawater they needed to survive.
Fruto said the embankments would have big cross drains for water to pass through.
The Iloilo River is actually not a river but an estuary or arm of the sea.
Fruto, however, did not discount the possibility that some mangroves may need to be transplanted elsewhere in the Iloilo River.
In this case, the earth-balling method would be observed, he said.
Earth-balling is the process of moving a plant by digging out the earth and the roots in a circular shape, leaving most of the root system undisturbed.
“We cannot say with 100-percent certainty that no mangroves would be affected by the esplanade’s expansion. But our past experience showed we even enhanced the growth of mangroves at the esplanade,” said Fruto.
Esplanade 1, some 1.2 kilometers long, stretched from Sen. Benigno Aquino Jr. Avenue to Carpenter’s Bridge in Mandurriao district. Across it on the other side of the Iloilo River was Esplanade 2. These areas have become popular recreational spaces for walking, jogging, open-air dining, and venue for river water sports.
Esplanade 1 was opened to the public in August 2012.
The Iloilo River, passing through 35 barangays, is a source of livelihood for fisherfolk and a habitat and nursery for many fish species, thanks mainly to the lush mangroves growing on its banks.
Like coral reefs, mangrove forests are extremely productive ecosystems that provide numerous goods and services both to the marine environment and people. They are home to a large variety of crab, shrimp, and mollusc species, too. These fisheries form an essential source of food for coastal communities./PN
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