Manila Bay today: A nation’s collective sin

There is a somewhat sense of relief that a Google search of the world’s dirtiest bays and beaches does not include Manila Bay. Still, this does not detract from the fact that a lot of work is needed to save it from deteriorating further from its current sorry state.

There was a time in the not too distant past when walking down the bay was a pleasurable experience. Now, it’s difficult not to bring out a handkerchief to dispel the stinking, decaying odor that wafts inland as you pass by, especially during the summer months

Battle for Manila Bay is currently the newest war cry of our government environment agencies, perhaps heady over its vaunted success of the recent rehabilitation of the world-famous Boracay beaches in the south.

Manila Bay’s problem, however, is not just about coastal cleanups every week, or the relocation of informal settlers along Metro Manila’s many waterways, from small canals leading out to the bigger rivers, and finally to the bay.

Because Manila Bay’s problem is a collective sin of a nation that has little regard for adhering to proper waste disposal measures, starting with the enforcement of laws that prohibit pollution of land, air, and water, to the adoption of better laws to keep up with the times.

Human activities

Studies from decades ago have warned of a continued deterioration of Manila Bay’s water quality from pollutants contributed by land-based human activities.

A UNDP-led research particularly pinpoints to the discharge of municipal, industrial and agricultural wastes, land run-off, and atmospheric deposition. It states that about 21 percent of the organic pollution load to Manila Bay comes from the Pasig River basin, with 70 percent coming from households.

The Manila Zoo has been recently closed to the public by the city government after reports surfaced that untreated sewage from the park was being drained into one of the estuaries leading to the Manila Bay. The surprising information that surfaced from the shutdown was that the 60-year-old zoo has had no sewage treatment plant in place to this day.

Implementation of local government initiatives on waste segregation continues to be challenged by weak enforcement, as well as the lack of a working system that would strictly compel households and commercial establishments to separate different kinds of waste.

Plastics and non-biodegradable packaging continues to be a nuisance to the environment, with businesses still using these in their manufacturing and retailing activities, but aggravated by the wanton disregard by humans for their proper disposal.

Incineration option

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources has proposed a P43-billion rehabilitation plan for Manila Bay, which the President has approved for implementation over a three-year period. A simple activity to kick-start the plan was held last Sunday.

Aside from having better recycling and garbage disposal laws at the local government level, which should be strictly followed, other alternatives to landfill waste disposal should be included in the plan.

One option is to adopt incineration technologies, which incidentally, have become much more environmentally-friendly over the last decade, and present a better sanitation measure for direct garbage disposal workers and pose much reduced pollution risks to land, waterways, and air.

Reusing and recycling

Recycling, particularly of PET bottles and other plastic containers and appliances, has to be included in the master plan since these urban wastes create mountains of waste but have the potential to be “reused” into other useful consumer products.

Alternatively, getting rid of single-use bottles through legislation could be looked into. Many countries have already started by prohibiting tourists and visitors to cultural and heritage sites from bringing in single-use plastics, favoring instead reusable and biodegradable containers.

There is also now a trend for governments to ban polystyrene or styrofoam and plastic straws. Some countries have made appliance manufacturers responsible for the disposal of their old products, much like what the printer companies are doing with used printer ink cartridges.

A number of start-ups, with help from global manufacturing companies like Coke, Pepsi, Procter & Gamble and Unilever, are also focusing not just in developing technologies for reusing, recycling or composing of packaging materials, but also on collecting them through smaller companies.

Empowered citizens

We can only expect to have a clean Manila Bay if people can already swim in esteros, creeks, and rivers that flow to the sea without fear of catching some dreaded disease or acquiring skin rashes.

We can only see a Manila Bay that is free of floating debris when people stop dumping their garbage in open canals or into the local government drainage system.

In the end, it will be enlightened and empowered citizens who will be able to revive Manila Bay and bring it back to becoming a coastline that families can safely swim in it.

Funding

Instead of abolishing the Road Board, and consequently freeing collections from the motor vehicle user’s charge for general government expenditures, it would be better to establish a new tax that would create a fund to improve the waste disposal system of the country.

The country will need to invest in equipment that could include the acquisition of better collection vehicles like compactor garbage trucks for municipalities and cities, or the construction of several state-of-the-art incinerators.

The currently accumulated P46 billion in the Road Users Fund should continue to fund road improvements, control vehicle pollution, and traffic movement. We need better traffic lights and new technology to improve traffic flow.

The abolition of the Road Board has become too politically colored, but that deserves space at another time.

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