URC Bais Distillery in Bais City, Negros Oriental, expects the repair of its collapsed Lagoon wall that caused the spill of waste water into the Tañon Strait by Nov. 4.
In a statement on Saturday, Nov.1, it said 127 personnel, supported by 20 Coast Guard members, are engaged in the repair of the collapsed section of the lagoon of Bais Distillery.
The work is now 60 percent complete and is projected to be finished by November 4, it said.
The new dike will be reinforced and strengthened with rubber tires and boulders to make it withstand the relentless rains and earthquake that caused its breach on October 26, URC said.
Regarding the marine clean-up, we are in close coordination with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and other stakeholder agencies to deploy experts who will help contain the spilled wastewater within a limited area and guide the Company, local and other relevant authorities on how best to foster marine re-growth and recovery, it said
Meanwhile, the company has been providing for the needs of the families affected by the spill and will continue to do so until the situation goes back to normal, URC said.
The Bais Sangguniang Panlungsod that earlier declared a State of Calamity said the consequences of this disaster have severely impacted the economic stability and livelihoods of local fishermen and others relying on aquatic resources in several barangays in the City.
Businesses such as fish markets dependent on a steady supply of fresh seafood and the City’s tourism industry, which organizes activities around the White Sand Bar, both experienced an immediate decline in revenue due to the stoppage of operation.*