Bishops’ conference sends aid to affected families in the coastal province of Oriental Mindoro.
This handout photo taken on March 8, 2023 and released by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) shows coast guard personnel and volunteers collecting debris covered with oil during a clean-up along the coast in Pola, Oriental Mindoro Province, days after an oil spill from a sunken tanker. (Photo: Philippine Coast Guard (PCG)/AFP)
Nearly 100 residents in a coastal province in the Philippines have fallen ill due to water pollution caused by an oil spill from a sunken tanker carrying industrial fuel oil.
Residents of Pola town in Oriental Mindoro province, which has declared a state of calamity, have complained of health problems after drinking water from their own faucets.
“This environmental tragedy has caused us great trouble. It did not only pose a threat to our marine life but endangered the lives of our residents,” Pola mayor Jennifer Cruz told reporters on March 10.
Cruz said the greatest damage was caused to potable water sources.
“We have more than 60 people who have been affected. They felt nauseous and sick. They had headaches and loose bowel movements,” Cruz added.
The spill has caused the closure of more than 30 beaches, causing 30 million pesos (US$5,46,622.20) worth of losses, Humerlito Dolor, governor of Mindoro province, which is about nearly 140 kilometres southwest of the capital Manila, told reporters on March 10.
The spill has affected as many as 20,000 hectares of coral reefs, 9,900 hectares of mangroves, and 6,000 hectares of seagrass, according to the department of environment and natural resources.
The Philippines’ tourism ministry has raised concerns over popular diving destinations, including the Verde Island passage, as the spill is spreading.
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