No chemicals used to rid mangrove infestations in Panay and Pontevedra
ROXAS CITY – Panay and Pontevedra towns which are the hardest hit by mangrove infestations are not using chemical pesticides to get rid of pests that hit the plantations. The mangroves are dying putting the ecosystems of the said towns in danger.
Panay Mayor Dante Bermejo and Pontevedra Mayor Steve Contreras said that they are now in the process of solving the predicament.
Bermejo said that Panay town has the largest mangrove plantation affected by the pest infestation. He said that his town has an estimated 500 hectares affected.
According to him, he noticed last December that the mangrove plantation in Panay became yellowish after it was infested by worms.
“But we never used chemical pesticides to disinfect them because it might contaminate the water and cause adverse effects to the surrounding fishponds,” Bermejo said.
Panay town, a two-time winner of the Gawad Pangulo Sa Kapaligiran (GPK) in the regional level has its mangrove plantation as tourist attraction which is one of the reasons why it won the award.
Meanwhile, Contreras said that Pontevedra town has 300 hectares mangrove plantation that is affected. He said that he had been asking concerned government agencies to solve the problem.
Earlier, Dionisio Molina, Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer (PENRO) reported that several towns in Capiz were affected with mangrove infestations.
Mangroves are proven effective barriers against tropical storms and strong wave action. It is also an absorber of pollution from both air and water.
Likewise, it is a fish sanctuary and protects the area from soil erosion and destruction due to tsunami and strong current of water.