COUNCILOR Leo Avila III said Monday that beaches in Davao City are currently "not healthy for swimming," as the rivers have been found with high levels of coliform in the recent Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) water quality assessment.

Avila, who is also the chairperson of the Committee on Environment, said during the Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM City Annex that results from the 2014 water quality assessment of the EMB showed that the city had "failed miserably."

In a copy of the report, total coliform found for both downstream and upstream of Davao River was estimated at 4,900 to 1,887,000 most probable number (mpn) per 100 ml wherein the standard level should only be 1,000mpn per 100 ml.

With a downstream standard level of 200mpn per 100 ml, fecal coliform in Davao River was estimated at 9,600 to 293,000mpn per 100 ml while for the upstream, with a standard level of 100mpn per 100 ml, it was found with 1,700 to 8,700mpn/100 ml of fecal coliform.

Talomo River was found with a total number of 1,006 to 456,000 MPN per 100 ml with around 414 to 183,000mpn per 100 ml of fecal coliform.

The report showed that the rise in the coliform level was due to human and animal wastes, houses located near the river, poultry and hog farms disposing their wastes in the river, and the City not having sewerage/septage treatment facility.

With this, Avila is requesting for the implementation of the Septage and Sewerage Management Ordinance of the city which the implementing rules and regulations had already been approved back in 2013 during Mayor Sara Z. Duterte's term.

"When Mayor Rody came in, he already made one of the requirements; one of the provisions of the IRR is for the creation of the ESS (environmental sanitary section) of the City Health Office (CHO) whose task is for the ordinance to be implemented," he said.

Avila said that the group, which includes the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENR), City Engineers Office, Department of Public Works and Highways and the EMB, has not yet met to discuss for the implementation of such.

"Sabi ng ESS marami silang kulang (ESS said that they are still lacking on things) like equipment and personnel for the implementation," he said.

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Davao beaches high in coliform