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February 19, 2018
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BORACAY – The unfinished drainage system is one of the main reasons of Boracay’s worsening problem on water pollution, according to the Boracay Foundation, Inc. (BFI).
BFI is a business group working to protect the tourist hotspot.
Malay councilor Maylynn “Nennette” Aguirre-Graf, president of BFI, on Sunday said the island’s drainage system was designed for flood control, but some residents and establishments use it to dispose of wastewater and sewage.
The drainage is easily accessible because some of its sections were unfinished and the drainage canals are just made of hollow blocks, said Aguirre-Graf.
She added that BFI had been calling on the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority, which built the drainage system, to address the problem for eight years now.
“So ‘yun ang isa sa mga una naming ipinanawagan walong taon na ang nakakaraaan, na ang problemang ito ay puwedeng lumaki kapag hindi ginawan ng paraan,” Aguirre-Graf told DZMM radio.
She said Bolabog Beach, which lies opposite Boracay’s more famous White Beach, has borne the brunt of the wastewater pollution.
The Tourism department earlier said around 200 commercial establishments face closure amid the government’s drive to solve environmental problems in the island.
Graf said that a study need may be needed to determine the number of tourists or establishments that the island can accommodate.
“Ang ating carrying capacity, walang makapagsabi kung sobra na. Pero yung nakikita natin, siguro nga sobra na,” she said.
President Rodrigo Duterte has threatened to “close” Boracay if the island’s wastewater problem remains unfixed within six months.
Workers and vendors in Boracay meanwhile fear that they might be the first to suffer from the mandatory closures under the cleanup effort. (With a report from ABS-CBN News/PN)
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