By MERLINDA A. PEDROSA

The Bacolod City Legal Office (CLO) said there is no oil spill along the Banago River in Barangay Bata.

“If there is an oil spill, there should be residual oil in the area,” City Legal Office chief Karol Joseph Chiu said yesterday.

“We only found stagnant water caused by garbage, debris and vegetation blocking the flow of water,” he added.

The CLO, together with the Bacolod Environment and Natural Resources Office and the City Health Office, conducted an inspection of the Banago River last week after a concerned citizen reported an alleged oil spill due to the dark discoloration of the water in the river.

Chiu said the water discoloration has affected portions of Barangays Bata and Banago.

The CLO has tasked barangay officials with monitoring the Banago River to help prevent the illegal dumping of garbage.

Chiu noted that residents living near the river may be contributing to the problem by disposing of their waste on the waterway.

“We have cleaned up the Banago Creek several times already, but during rainy days, large amounts of garbage can still be seen in the river,” he said.

Chiu also emphasized that barangay officials should educate residents about the importance of proper waste disposal and discourage them from throwing garbage into the river./MAP, WDJ