La Trinidad, Benguet — Provincial and municipal officials as well as residents of this town assailed the city government of Baguio for its alleged failure to check the dumping of human and solid wastes in the tributaries of the Balili River.

The unabated pollution, they warned, could cause the eventual death of the river. The water of the Balili River comes from 23 tributaries in Baguio City, flows through the different barangays in this town, and goes to Sablan town before it is channeled to the Naguilian River.

One of the identified major pollutants of the Balili River is the alleged unabated dumping of animal wastes discharged by Baguio City’s slaughterhouse located in Barangay Sto. Nino.

Despite the city government’s claim that it is looking into the pollution problem in the tributaries of the Balili River, the affected residents said the sorry state of the Balili River is now posing a serious threat to the health of their children who usually play in the river’s tributaries.

They deplored the deteriorating state of the environment as they noted the creeks and tributaries are becoming the breeding grounds of mosquitoes and other disease-causing insects.

However, the city government said it is considering three proposals to check the pollution caused by the city’s slaughterhouse.

The proposals include the construction of a composting facility to convert solid wastes into fertilizers and the re-construction of the animal corrals and facilities that would treat liquid wastes. Another proposal calls for the transfer of the slaughterhouse or the privatization of the facility.

The city veterinary office said there is no problem with the liquid waste from the abattoir as this goes directly to culverts connected to the city’s sewer treatment plant.

The city also said the animal wastes are being hauled to the Irisan open dumpsite.

If the city is really observing its sanitation measures, the La Trinidad municipal government said, there would be no need for the regular cleanup done in the Balili River.

Municipal officials said that tons of garbage from the tributaries are dumped at the river banks, especially in populated areas. The town officials said that the Balili River is like the Pasig River in Metro Manila, adding that residents of Baguio City and the city’s slaughterhouse continue to dump solid and liquid wastes in the creeks.

While the city government is advocating for environmental preservation and protection, residents here believe that the city is doing only lip service and has not done anything to check the dumping of garbage in the tributaries of the Balili River.

It was recalled that in the 1980s, the Balili River had crystal-clear water. At present, it is heavily polluted.