Almost 2 months ago, the New River in the Orange Walk District made national news after it was discovered that this major waterway was severely polluted. Well, the Department of Environment is reporting tonight that the condition of the river has improved significantly since its intervention.
The DOE says that since early September, they've been monitoring the water quality near Orange Walk Town on a daily basis, and their tests indicate steady improvement. They attribute these improvements to several factors. The first is the installation of mechanical aerators at strategic locations along the river. Also, the river has been recharged due to the significant rainfall in Central and Northern Belize.
The DOE says that since the start of last month, their tests have not detected the presence of the hydrogen sulfide gas. You'll remember that the pollution caused this noxious gas to spread into areas closest to the riverbanks, and it caused major disruption of classes at La Inmaculada Primary School. Well, according to the DOE, the malodor created by the presence of this gas has not affected the town recently.
DOE will now scale back its monitoring from daily to weekly checks. The DOE will continue to meet regularly with the New River Task Force for the implementation of the Watershed Management Plan.
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