SP ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITTEE INVESTIGATES COAL SPILL
[wp-svg-icons icon="user" wrap="span"] By: Jane Flores | [wp-svg-icons icon="camera" wrap="span"] By: GPC | [wp-svg-icons icon="calendar" wrap="span"] Date: July 14, 2018
Board Member (BM) Annabelle S. de Guzman brought to the attention of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) through her privilege speech during the 102nd SP regular session, the tons of coal that were spilled along the shorelines of Barangay Quirino, Bacnotan, La Union which were washed from the stockpile of Holcim Cement Plant during the heavy rains on July 14, 2018.
Said concern was endorsed to the SP Committee on Environment chaired by Board Member Francisco “Kit” C. Ortega, Jr., which then scheduled an ocular visit and brief dialogue with the plant manager and their technical personnel.
The ocular visit started with a brief presentation on plant safety procedures and then the plant manager, Mr. Erano C. Santos, discussed in details what led to the spill of coal to the shorelines fronting the plant at Sitio Bagbag, Quirino, Bacnotan, La Union.
Based on Mr. Santos’ explanations, the huge volume of water due to the heavy rains did not follow through the dredged man-made canal as portion of it was blocked due to a minor landslide and ran its own way towards the stockpile and washed it down with gushing waters that broke down the fences of the plant and directly went down and deposited ashore and the seabed.
BM de Guzman pointed out that the canal, which is supposed to be the water way of rainwater is not concrete, thus, the possibility that the gush of big volume of water would really run through another course.
According to the plant manager, almost 99% of the spilled coal had been retrieved but when BM Christian Rivera inquired how many tons of coal had been recovered, the plant manager informed that an estimate of 40 tons was washed out to the shoreline but promised to give the data based on the number of sacks of coal collected. BM Rivera noted that more or less when summed together the coal spilled and recovered and the remaining stockpile, should at least get a near total of 17,000 tons of coal. If not, there are still coal that are deposited in the seabed.
Part of the presentation mentioned that the stockpile was in an open pit area that did not only wash the pile of coal but drenched the whole stockpile. BM Bellarmin Flores II also warned Holcim of the effects of the water where the coal was soaked that seeped into to the aquifers and into the groundwater, which is the source of potable water of the people in the community.
The plant manager mentioned that the stockpiling of coal along that area was only temporary as they are awaiting for the completion of the construction of a fourth warehouse, where the stocked pile of coal will be transferred. It was not clear for how long has been the coal was stocked at that open area considering that since June of this year, the province of La Union had been experiencing intermittent inclement weather.
The Committee Report will be rendered by its Chair, Hon. Kit Ortega on August 9, 2018 during the 111th Regular Session of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan.
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