Part of the objectives of the IFFM in Kamukhaan is to acquire first hand information on the environmental situation of the community in Kamukhaan as well as investigating the environmental effects of LADECO’s pesticide use on its banana plantation in the adjacent area.

The main consideration in the conduct of the investigation is the limitation in terms of time and resources. The team employed an ocular inspection on the area in order to identify possible components of the environment that could be considered for further in-depth scientific study. It has been made clear at the start of the whole IFFM that proving direct correlation of environmental problems earlier conveyed by Kamukhaan residents to intoxication and poisoning due to pesticides use of LADECO needs a thorough technical study done by experts particularly on the field of toxicology and pesticides control. Thus the team did some scoping of the area and also conducted interviews among some of the residents to look on some of the most imminent environmental issues that could be brought up for attention in the future.

Results and observbation

Collection of Samples

Basing from the informaton conveyed by the residents and from taking not of the variations of elevations from the plantation to the villae, the team made an imaginary transect from the plantation to the village and identified points aprroximately 10 m apart. The team then collected approximately 1 kg. of soil samples each form the 1 foot deep digging it made in these points. Samples were bagged and are to be turned over to National Pesticide Analytical Laboratory for testing f presence of chemcals froom pesticides.  The team conducted on the spot testing of some of the samples for nutrient content and soil pH.

Water samples were also collected from 2 deep wells and 1 from the Guihing river, near the National Highway. These samples are also for testing at the pesticides analytical laboratory.

To date, there is yet no conclusive evidence that Kamukhaan’s soil and water are contaminated by toxic and hazardous chemicals. However, from the intrviews and cular survey of the team on th immediate vicinity of the village and the plantation, there were other considerable aspects in the environment that may need some serious attention.

Agricultural Production

After testing the soil from 4 different locations in the site using the standard Daepartment of Agriculture soil test kit, it was found out that the type of soil in he village is very rich in potassiuma nd phosphorus. This would show that there is more than enough of the basic nutrients needed for the production of the most commn agricultural crops. However, thesoil is reatively low in nitrogen content. This may be explained by the poor vegetation of the area. Still, Nitogen deficiency among nutrient deficiency problems for crops is the easiest to deal with.

Soil pH is also on the normal level, having a soil pH of 6 classifying the soil to be neither basic nor acidic. Having a soil pH 6 would actually mean that the soil nutrients present are readily available for plants/crops. Thus the claims that agricultural productivity is hampered by the soil being acidic seem to bebaseless. On the contrary, with a soil having rich amonts of the basc nutients needed by plants/crops plus a very favorable pH condition, agricultura production in Kamukhaan is very promising. Farmes would need not applyany cmmercial fertilizers in order to have a good agricultural growth and harvest.

The richness of the soil in terms of nutrients content would be furthered by its history. Based on the accounts of the elderly as well as from observing the location and physical appearance of the area, Kamukhaan was once either a manrove area or at last very nar one. Mangrve areas are one of the types of ecosystems tha abound in nutrents coming from terrestrial as well as marine sources.

And considering the community’s accounts of soil infertillity and the results of the soil testing, the team concurred that the claims of the people of poor agricultural production should be seriously looked upon since it defintely cannot be attributed o soil acidity. If ever, there is truth to the people’s claims that crops and plants die or go through abnormal plant growth, then there is something in the environment that seriously inhibits the normal growth of agricultural crops. And as of the moment, the presence of the plantation and its use of pesticides are the most imminent disturbance in the natural environment of the area. Thus it is possible that such inhibition could be attributed to pesticides use not to mention the long years of LADECO’s employment of monocropping system for its bananaplantation.

Toxic pollution on the immediae ecosystems

While it seems that the construction of a drainage canal/outlet along the boundaries of the plantation parallel to the public road in kamukhaan resulted to lessening the occurrence of flooding in the village, its effects to the Guihing river could be heavy. The canal apparently serves as an irrigating system for the plantation wherein its outlets all lead to the Guihing river and eventually to the nearby sea. With this setup, water that runs off everytime there is excess irrigation water all flows to the Guihing River. The risk with this is that pesticides and chemicals diluted in this excess irrigating water are spilled to the river and eventually to the sea.

The residents reported that it has been a custom for the LADECO to re-spray the plantation every time there occurs heavy rains. This is because the chemicals earlier sprayed are washed out thus requiring the re-spraying of the plantation. It is quite clear that every time LADECO re-sprays its plantation, a large quantity of the chemicals it earlier sprayed is washed out to the river endangering the entire river ecosystem. 

It is quite clear that LADECO’s system of pesticides or even fertilizer application to its plantation produces a large volume of possibly toxic and hazardous pollutants to the Guihing river. And followng the government’s policy for pollution, LADECO has for years been able to escape the consequences that polluters should have paid for polluting the environment.

Moreover, since ther is little knowledge on how LADECO operates its facilities an equipments insde the plantation there is also similar litte knowledge on how it disposes of its domestic and industrial wastes. What is clear however is that its major facility is located along the rier banks of Guihing thus in case there occurs irresponsible disposal of wastes, it is the rier that would be immediately affected.

Fish Kills

Although there are no reported major fish kills, there are reports especially from the few fishing families in Kamukhaan of minor fish kills in the river as well as in the nearby sea. The problem with this phenomenon is that it has usually been neglected due to the marginal number of fishing families in kamukhaan. based from the information shared by some of the fishermen, fishkills occur usually everytime heavy rains occur. They were not, however sure if one of the conseq

Livestock Poisoning

All of the residents interviewed negated the earlier report of animals dying after wandering off inside or within the vicinity of the plantation. They said that they have no recollection of occurrence o livestock poisoning in Kamukhaan. With regards to livestock found in the area, it was observed that  most are roaming free in the community. The practice of aerial spraying plus the fact that pesticides may run-off easily through the plantation'’ drainage system put livestocks in constant danger of poisoning especially if it drink from the irrigation canl ocatetd jus several meters from the community.

Conclusion 

Pesticides each react differently with the environment. This is because the chemical composition for each brand is different from another. The prediction therefore of the capability if the immediate ecosystem to positively absorb the chemicals especially the toxic and hazardous ones that are released in the environment relies on the full knowledge of knowledge of the chemical composition of each persticide; the characteristics by which these chemicals would react to different components of the environment; and the knowledge of the specific characteristics of the environment where the pesticide is released.

Thus determining the environmental effects kof LADECO’s aerial pesticide spraying would require a scientific study equipped with the sufficient technical as well as financial resources. Normally these types of studies take some weeks even months based on the scope and extent of the study. This study therefore, conducted in connection with the IFFM, takes part of the preliminary activities that could shape up further technical studies in the future.

Presently, there are several fears and concerns regarding LADECO’s presence and its pesticides spraying. Addressing it would entail the participation and cooperation among all those concerned particularly the villagers of Kamukhaan. For the part of the company, the least it could do is to be very transparent in all the matters that would arrive in resolving the issue.

Recommendations for further study

•  Identify soil and water contents that can positively be attributed  as cause of health and environmenal problms
• Conduct further studies to point out the actual causes of poor agricultural producivity
• Conduct further studies to trace and establish the toxicity path of pesticides use.
• Conduct further studies to identify actual effects of pesticides to the environment especially those components that are directly related to people’s health.
• Review all related public documents pertaining to LADECO’s operations so that the people would know if indeed the company religiously follow the environmental standards of the government.

Erni Maray, Samahan na Nagtataguyod ng Agham at Teknolohiya para sa 
Sambayanan (AGHAM)
Dr. Erle Castillo, National Poison Control Center (NPCC)-UP-PGH 
Rene Vidallo, CEC 
Minnie Lopez, KMP Info desk 
Jayson Senarillos,  SCMP