EMB asks resorts to test water quality

CEBU, Philippines — The head of the Environmental Management Bureau in Central Visayas (EMB- 7) has called on resort and beach owners to conform to their agreement of conducting their own water quality testing.

EMB-7 Director William Cuñado said aside from the agency’s monthly monitoring, resort and beach owners also have to do the same as agreed verbally during a recent forum held in Lapu-Lapu City that was attended by significant stakeholders.

He said the agency and private owners now have the shared responsibility of  making sure that the waters off their coasts are clean and safe.

Cuñado emphasized that the owners also have an obligation to assure the public that their own beach is safe for bathing and is free of dirty contaminants.

Besides, he added that beach owners and operators should help keep the environment, including the waters, clean for them to sustain their businesses.

He said the resort and beach owners can hire a third or independent party, like a laboratory facility, that can get a sample of the water and analyze its quality.

What the owners have to submit to EMB-7 are the results of the water quality testing, he added.

With the data gathered by EMB-7 and from the separate laboratory tests, Cuñado said the office can now come up with a more comprehensive presentation and analysis on the state of the waters off the coasts in the region.

He said through this procedure, private owners cannot question them anymore if ever the tests show that their beaches are either safe or dirty.

Cuñado said the process may take some more time before they can finalize a consolidated report. He also said not all owners have submitted the lab results yet as only a few have complied with their agreement.

The EMB, for its part, will conduct monthly monitoring of different beach sites frequently visited by tourists. Several sampling stations have been established in Panglao Island in Bohol, and in Mactan Island and the towns of Bantayan, Oslob, Moalboal, and Badian in Cebu Province. — BRP (FREEMAN)