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
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