TACLOBAN CITY–Maasin city mayor Nacional “Nikko” Mercado has disclosed that they already have a “person of interest” who was allegedly behind the contamination of the city’s water source by pouring it with kerosene which sent panic to some residents recently.
Despite what happened, Mercado clarified that the no one was killed or harmed when the breach took place at the Maasin Water District’s (MWD) main source in the mountain of Canlited, Barangay San Jose on June 15, 2018, contrary to some reports.
“Official police report in Maasin City does not record of any fatality caused by intake or use of water from Maasin Water District,” Mercado said in an interview.
“In fact, according to the police, no complaints of any harm or injury caused by MWD water were ever received by its station since June 15, 2018, the day when the intentional pollution of MWD water allegedly occurred until the present,” he added.
According to the mayor, no hospital, public or private, or any health clinic in the city has reported of any such incident.
Mercado stressed that police and security personnel are strictly guarding the reservoirs of MWD to prevent similar malicious mischiefs.
Water district employees had already decontaminated and conducted flushing procedure at the said water source.
It was learned that it was the first time that this incident happened in the water district in its over 30 years of operation.
Authorities also conducted an investigation over the incident.
(RONALD O. REYES)
