Significant improvement in the water quality of Manila Bay has been recorded last year, according to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
The DENR said as of third quarter of 2021, coliform level in all nine key stations at the Manila Bay Baywalk Area, recorded 21,100 most probable number per 100 milliliters (mpn per 100 ml) from 2019’s 5.75 million mpn per 100 ml.
The DENR cited the Manila Bay Coordinating Office’s (MBCO) data that showed four key stations in the Baseco beach area registered a decrease in coliform level from an overall geomean of 145,000 mpn per 100 mL in 2020 to 21,500 mpn per 100 mL in September 2021.
The MBCO reported that in September 2021, the Baywalk sewage treatment plant which treats wastewater from the Padre Faura, Remedios and Estero de San Antonio de Abad outfalls receives an influent of 8.8 million mpn per 100mL and releases an effluent of 9.4 mpn per 100ml passing the fecal coliform standard of 100 mpn per 100mL.
As for the three sampling stations of the Dolomite Beach, coliform level has gone down to 1,700 mpn per 100 mL as of Dec. 22, 2021 from a geomean of 1.6 million last September 2020.
DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu said the rehabilitation had a number of achievements due to its solid waste management strategies, geo-engineering interventions and compliance monitoring of establishments, among others around the Manila Bay area in the National Capital Region, Central Luzon and Calabarzon.
Cimatu said in terms of solid waste management, a total 50,618.94 cubic meters of garbage from shorelines, waterways, rivers and beaches were collected and disposed from 19,088 cleanup activities including collection from trash traps and trash boats as well as from declogging activities conducted from January to September 2021. – Jed Macapagal
