“Yehey…. We are safe from silt!
“Yehey…. We are safe from silt!
Location: Puerto Princessa , Palawan , Philippines
However, if people cut all the trees in the mountains, it will be a different story. The soil and other debris which will be carried by the floods to the sea when it rains very hard will get dissolved into a fine substance which our teacher said is called silt. Tons of silt settling down to the bottom of the sea can suffocate the corals. We know that coral reefs serve as a breeding ground of sea animals. On the other hand, if our mountains are covered with trees, in spite of heavy rains, the soil will not be eroded and carried by the rain waters to the sea. And of course, our teacher said, we would then be pleasantly surprised if the fishes, crabs, dolphins, turtles and other animals and plants in the sea say, “Yehey…. We are safe from silt!"

Ngunit kung puputulin ng mga tao ang mga kagubatan sa kabundukan, maiiba ang kuwento. Ang lupa at ibang mga bagay sa bundok ay matatangay ng baha papuntang dagat at magiging pinong-pinong matatangay ng baha papuntang dagat at magiging pinong-pinong material na tinatawag na silt sabi ng guro naming. Ito ay bababa at mananatili sa ilalim ng dagat. Ang silt ay maaaring pumatay sa mga corals na alam natin ay nagsisilbing itlugan ng mga hayop sa dagat. Nguni’t kung ang mga kabundukan natin y natatakpan ng mga puno, kahit umulan ng malakas, ang lupa ay hindi matatangay ng tubig ulan papuntang dagat. Sabin g guro namin ay hindi natin masisisi ang mga isda, alimango, lumba-lumba, pawikan at iba pang mga hayop at halaman sa dagat kung dahil sa tuwa, sila’y magsasabi ng “Yehey, ligtas kami sa silt!

Copyrighted Jane Timbancaya-Urbanek
©2005 John Gray Sea Canoe Co., Ltd.. All Rights Reserved.