Mapping of esteros directing waste water to Manila Bay ordered

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Environment and Natural Resources has ordered the National Mapping Resource and Information Authority, one of the DENR’s attached agencies, to prepare maps that will help identify the esteros or canals that dispose of wastewater directly into Manila Bay.

The maps will be used in the rehabilitation of the bay, DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu said in a news conference in Quezon City yesterday.

“We have to start early. We have to hit the ground running since Manila Bay’s cleanup will be a difficult task,” Cimatu said.

“Our aim is to reduce the bay’s coliform level,” he added.

A 2017 report by the DENR’s Environmental Management Bureau showed that the fecal coliform level in Manila Bay reached as high as over 330 million most probable number (MPN) per 100 milliliters. The safe level is only 100 MPN/100 ml.

Cimatu said a meeting would soon be set with concerned mayors together with other stakeholders so that rehabilitation measures will be implemented immediately.

In 2008, the Supreme Court issued a continuing writ of mandamus ordering 13 government agencies to clean up Manila Bay and restore its water quality to Class SB, or safe for recreational activities such as swimming.

Cimatu said the cleanup will cover four areas – Metro Manila and the provinces of Cavite, Bulacan and Bataan.

He said they would soon start checking on establishments, factories and creeks that dispose of wastewater into the bay.