ILOILO CITY, (PNA) — A ranking official of the Department of Health Region 6 (DOH-6) has lamented the non-existence of sewage treatment plants in local government units (LGUs) in the region except for the one in Boracay Island in Aklan.
Dr. Elvie Villalobos, chief of the DOH-6 Environment and Occupational Health, said a sewage treatment plant is extremely a necessity in any community to protect its citizens from life-threatening discharges spilling from a variety of sources.
A treatment facility averts unwanted discharges from seeping into natural waterways such as rivers and springs vital for human consumption, she said.
Villalobos said what most LGUs have are drainages and canals to catch discharges which do not possess purifying properties. As a result, contaminants often find their way into natural water sources.
However, she said that putting up a sewage plant may be costly to some LGUs, costing P5 million to P10 million.
“With everyday threat posed by toxins, it leaves us with no choice,” Villalobos said.