Green plants to revitalize Balili River

ENVIRONMENT MONITOR

Susan C. Aro

BAGUIO CITY - - A low-cost means of getting rid of pollutants in the Balili River will be introduced using living green plants.

The river starts from this city waterways, down to La Trinidad, Tublay and Sablan towns of Benguet and merges with the Agno River.

The project called Phytoremediation of Polluted Waterways in Balili River will be carried out by the Watershed and Water Resources Research Center, now an attached agency of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

WWRRC science research specialist Marilou Andrada recently presented the project concept in a meeting of the Balili River Water Quality Management Area board.  It involves living green plants  which will  be introduced in the waterways of the Balili River to  help clean or remove pollutants.

The United Nations Environment Programme defines phytoremediation as the direct use of living green plants for in situ, or in place, removal, degradation, or containment of contaminants in soils, sludge, sediment, surface water and groundwater.

Science research specialist Randy Tubal of WWRRC said plants having remarkable chemical processing,  absorption capabilities and transport systems can take up nutrients or contaminants selectively either from soil or water.

They also restore balance in the ecosystem and curb stressed environment improving aesthetics of the area and create habitat.

Some plants tested of their trait in the uptake and accumulation of pollutants are the sword brake fern, lubigan or scientifically called Acoruscalamus, vetiver grass, water lettuce, kangkong, wild sunflower, and water hyacinth.

In planning a phytormediation project, Tubal cited need for preliminary assessment to determine extent of contamination, look for obvious physical signs of contaminations and get more water samples for extensive analysis.

Location of the system, contaminant characteristics and concentration should also be considered in designing the project, he added.

According to Andrada, initial coordination for the water analysis was undertaken with the Environmental Management Bureau-DENR-CAR. Ocular inspection where the study will be conducted was already done in coordination with the local government unit of Balili, La Trinidad