By Alexandria San Juan

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said it is “looking deeply” into the cause of the recent fish kill in the Las Piñas-Parañaque Wetland Park (LPPWP) while appropriate measures are being done to ensure that the incident will not affect the ongoing rehabilitation in Manila Bay.

Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu stated that the agency is now gathering more information on the extent and the cause of the fish kill in LPPWP which is a protected wetland area situated within the Manila Bay region.

In a statement on Monday, Cimatu said the Environmental Management Bureau-National Capital Region (EMB-NCR) had conducted tests in the wetland for several key water quality indicators following the fish kill incident.

“The results are being fast-tracked to enable us to determine what measures to undertake to mitigate adverse impacts over other marine life in the area,” Cimatu bared.

“We are also doing this because we want to make sure that the fish kill incident will not cause any delay to the ongoing Manila Bay rehabilitation efforts,” he added.

The water test results, which are expected to be released in the following days, would complement studies being conducted by experts from the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), as well as the local government units of Las Piñas and Parañaque, the DENR explained.

The bureau had tested the LPPWP waters for dissolved oxygen, pH level, nitrates, phosphates, fecal coliform, and cyanide.

According to the DENR, these tests could show whether the fish died through toxic means or through oxygen saturation determined by the level of dissolved oxygen in the water which is essential to sustain aquatic life.

Shore cleaning

Last Friday, personnel from the DENR, Las Piñas, and Parañaque LGUs, and the so-called “Bakawan Warriors” of the LPPWP led a clean-up drive to clear the wetland’s shore of dead fish which caused a strong stench in the area.

According to the DENR, more than 200 sacks weighing over 5,000 kilograms of various marine species such as fish, shrimps, and crabs were gathered during the clean-up.

“The clean-up was necessary to reduce hazards to both human and environmental health. We must remove the dead fish before the tide brings them back to the sea and further affect the water quality in the area,” DENR-NCR executive director Jacqueline Caancan explained.

‘No bathing at LPPWP’

Pending results of these water tests, Caancan warned the public not to bathe or dip in the wetland to avoid skin contact or ingestion of chemicals which may be present in the water.

The public is also advised to heed announcements from health officials on the safety of consuming fish gathered from the fish kill.

Last week, residents near the wetland noticed that the waters surrounding the LPPWP turned into a milky white color followed by the gradual appearance of seemingly jumping fish on the shore.

A huge fish kill appeared the following morning with tons of different marine species filled a half-kilometer stretch of LPPWP’s Long Island while about half-ton spread out over Freedom Island.

The LPPWP is one of the only two protected areas in Metro Manila, aside from the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center in Quezon City.