Bokashi mud balls seen to improve bay’s water quality

MANILA, Philippines - Some 6,000 Bokashi mud balls will be made and thrown into the Estero de Abad in Malate district, Manila, to help improve its water quality, the Manila Bay Sunset Partnership Program Inc. (MBSPPI) said over the weekend.

The effort to clean the creek is part of the Manila Bay cleanup activity, which the MBSPPI conducts annually. Estero de Abad connects to the Manila Bay.

For the last 13 years, the MBSPPI – headed by the Land Bank of the Philipines – has been hauling garbage from Manila Bay.

Catherine Rowena Villanueva, LandBank first vice president and MBSPPI president, said they partnered with Earth Venture Inc., which introduced them to Bokashi mud balls.

The mud balls make use of Japan’s effective microorganisms technology, which prevents the growth of algae and breaks down sludge and silt in the water to improve clarity and flow.

Villanueva said they aim to make 6,000 Bokashi mud balls, which would be thrown into the Estero de Abad located on Adriatico street, Barangay 720.

“This is the first time we are making the mud balls. We are trying to pilot it at Estero de Abad. Hopefully we could do it in succession for three months. We will check the water quality by the end of that period and see if there has been an improvement,” Villanueva said.

The mud balls will help filter the bad bacteria in the water before it goes out into Manila Bay.

According to the Philippine Environment Monitor 2003, the water quality in the bay is considered “critical and unsatisfactory” due to the indiscriminate disposal of domestic wastewater and other land-based pollution. 

Villanueva said this is just an experiment and, if proven successful, they would persuade local governments to make Bokashi mud balls.

Meanwhile, at least 1,600 MBSPPI volunteers joined yesterday’s cleanup activity at the Manila Bay. They were able to collect four trucks of garbage.

The MBSPPI welcomed new partners such as the Department of Public Works and Highways, Environmental Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Maynilad Water Services, De La Salle University-Manila and the Villar Sipag at Tiyaga Foundation Inc.

Sen. Cynthia Villar, chief of the Senate committee on environment and natural resources, said a similar cleanup activity is being conducted every week at the 175-hectare Las Piñas-Parañaque critical habitat and ecotourism area. 

With the help of the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority, the Villar Sipag at Tiyaga Foundation has been active in cleaning, preserving and improving the area.