Volunteers help in the clean-up drive of the Butuanon River on February 22, 2019| CDN Digital file photo
MANDAUE CITY, Philippines — The Mandaue City Government will be tapping the help of its barangays to monitor several of its tributaries which have been declared off-limits to the public.
This was just some of Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes’ plans to stop the possible spread of poliovirus after Butuanon River was confirmed to have been contaminated with a deadly virus that causes polio.
Cortes said additional manpower from the barangays would provide support to the existing environmental officers of the city government who would be tasked to bar anyone from accessing Butuanon River, and Mahiga and Tipolo Creeks.
On February 16, Cortes ordered to close off the city’s three major water bodies after the Department of Health (DOH), on February 15, confirmed reports from the Research Institute of Tropical Medicine (RITM) that Butuanon River tested positive of poliovirus.
READ MORE: Tipolo, Butuanon, and Mahiga Rivers off-limits to public
However, the mayor said only authorized officials would be allowed to go down to these bodies of water.
“Those wearing protective gear, and authorized by relevant government agencies such as the DENR (Department of Environment and Natural Resources), and the DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways) are the only ones permitted to go near the rivers,” Cortes said.
READ MORE: Butuanon River in Mandaue tested positive for poliovirus – DOH
He also said that he had yet to meet with the barangay captains, barangay officials and barangay health workers to discuss how they would go about imposing the ban of access to these tributaries in the city./dbs