Muntinlupa city gets P1M for Laguna lake cleanup

The Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) has turned over P1 million to the Muntinlupa City government for emergency response and the cleanup of Laguna de Bay and its tributaries in the city.

LLDA officials led by general manager Jaime Medina visited Mayor Jaime Fresnedi on Wednesday to discuss plans to prevent algal bloom in the lake.

The LLDA committed to provide technical assistance, including analysis of water samples taken from the bay. It would also facilitate the installation of treatment facilities on  the shoreline in Barangays Sucat and Tunasan.

Algae skimmers

For its part, the city government said it would continue its cleanup of the lake, the shore and tributaries. It added that it was planning to buy skimmers to extract algae from the bay.

The meeting was held a month after residents in the city, especially those living near the lake, complained of a pervasive odor in the area which they likened to the “stench of pig pens and feces.”

The foul smell caused some to experience difficulty in breathing, headaches, stomachaches, asthma attacks and respiratory tract infection.

According to LLDA, the algal bloom was caused by the oversupply of nutrients such as phosphates and nitrates, which made Laguna de Bay “very fertile.”

“Combined with environmental conditions such as sufficient sunlight, high water temperature and calm water, the algae can grow at a very fast rate,” it said. —WITH A REPORT FROM AIZAM UMAL