BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – The planned dredging of rivers in E.B. Magalona, Negros Occidental is pushing through this month despite objections from local environmentalists.
Mayor Marvin Malacon repudiated the claims of the Green Alert Environmental Network (GAEN) that the capitol-backed dredging will negatively impact the local blue swimming crab industry.
He accused them of “propagating false information.”
According to Malacon, the national government approved the project which aims to mitigate flooding.
The mayor said he would be the first to oppose the project if it will affect livelihood and economically displace residents.
“We are fortunate that the national government is helping us clear our waterways, for free,” he stressed.
Earlier this week, GAEN warned public officials that dredging activities in the town’s rivers could lead to the death of the blue crab industry.
The group claimed the extraction of black sand would release harmful substances and increase water turbidity.
“Toxic metals could negatively affect marine biodiversity and slow land subsidence may occur. Black sand mining can cause much economic damage aside from flooding, although spread out over a longer period,” the group said.
The blue swimming crabs industry is the backbone of E.B. Magalona’s economy.
According to GAEN, Negros Occidental produces about five tons of blue swimming crabs per day. This P8-billion industry is the fourth largest in the country, based on 2016 data.
GAEN said nine out of 23 barangays of E.B. Magalona depend on coastal resources, and black sand mining would not be beneficial to the town’s populace.
They pointed out sand bars that have formed in the area also serve as natural protection from high waves and typhoons.
“Once gone, prepare for the worst nightmare,” the group stressed./PN
