CAO says 'lack of oxygen' caused fish kill
The City Agriculture Office (CAO) has initially attributed last Saturday's fish kill at the Iloilo River to "lack of oxygen".
Meanwhile, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources is still conducting laboratory examination on the fish specimen collected last Saturday. Department on Environment and Natural Resources, on the other hand, has yet to come up with the result of its examination on the water sample taken from the Iloilo River.
Mayor Jerry Treñas said he was told by CAO chief Gil Parreñas that fishes and crustaceans died because of lack of oxygen. No further explanations were made on the fish kill as he ruled out reports on the seepage coming from the Calajunan dumpsite in Mandurriao which possibly caused the fish kill.
Treñas said they have ordered the CAO to conduct an investigation and make a conclusive report on the recent fish kill that alarmed the small scale fishermen. The CAO was also told to coordinate with the DENR and BFAR.
Treñas said all the fishes in Iloilo River could have died if the seepage coming from the Calajunan dumpsite found its way to the river. The mayor also cited that the dumpsite's location is very far from Iloilo River.
Treñas said another thing that will be investigated is the possibility that the fish kill was caused by the waste water discharge coming from commercial and industrial establishments near the Iloilo River.
However, the mayor said he will leave the investigation on the proper agencies concerned.