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THE Lhuilliers, who bought several hectares of coastal land in Sogod and Borbon towns in northern Cebu, are starting the rehabilitation of the marine ecosystem which was the subject of environmental complaints due to dumping of limestone in the area by the developer.
?We will start with mapping out the area and estimate or determine the deposits of sediments or the depth of the silt deposit,? said Dr. Anthony Ilano, University of San Carlos' Marine Biology Department head.
?We will identify the patches of area that we will clear. This would depend on the thickness (of the silt).?
M.Lhuiller Land Development Corp. (MLLDC), which hired Dr. Ilano to head the marine restoration team, undertook the rehabilitation after fishermen and the Sogod Development Corp., complained in court of earth moving and reclamation activities in the Sogod-Borbon area that had adversely affected the marine environment in the area.
The fishermen also complained of lesser seashell catch and no access to a right of way to a shoreline.
Alegre Beach Resort, which is renting a property from SDC near the area, had complained that underwater visibility has worsened and growth of live corals is restricted because of siltation.
Ilano said there are several ways to perform clearing work on the coast.
?There are several ways (to remove silt from the corals), there is siphoning. But I would not recommend this because this method would also destroy the corals,? he said.
He recommended that manual clearing should be done in shallow areas, which is the manner currently employed by the clearing team.
Ilano explained that the limestone that they found settled on some corals have a negative effect.
?There is decomposition of organisms, which you can smell. It is also easy to identify whether the sediments you see is limestone of beach sand. But we still have to be careful in removing the silt,? he said.
?We can not remove all the silt though. There is also siltation during erosion,? he added.
The group is also reviving the corals through re-stocking, said Ilano.
?It takes time for corals to grow back. I buy corals and we place them here (at the marine reserve). We call this re-stocking, which is an enhancement program, he said. /Editorial Assistant Ma. Bernadette A. Parco
