By Ellalyn V. Ruiz
Authorities have excavated 26 illegal pipes while at least 43 more sites could also have buried illegal pipes draining into the shoreline of Boracay.
Department of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Roy Cimatu noted that the successful excavation of 28 buried pipes has shortened the period of detecting illegal pipes from one month to one day.
Out of the 28 excavated pipes (eight in Station 1, 10 in Station 2, and another 10 in Station 3), 26 pipes were purportedly draining wastewater into the sea, Cimatu said.
“The excavated pipes that are connected to the establishments are carrying coliform bacteria from human waste,” Cimatu said.
However, Cimatu said the discovery of illegal pipelines on the beachfront was a setback in the completion of the rehabilitation efforts. Boracay was ordered closed to tourists for six months starting last April 26 to pave the way for its rehabilitation.
The DENR and other government agencies in charge of the rehabilitation have until Oct. 26 to finish the restoration works.
Cimatu had earlier disclosed that at least 43 sites with “possible buried illegal pipes” were detected by a technical team from the Mines and Geosciences Bureau using ground penetrating radar on the beachfront.