The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is looking for best practices that will be used to clean up Manila Bay and its tributaries including dredging, announced DENR Undersecretary Jonas Leones.
“ The work involved is so big ,” Leones said, highlighting importance of technologies and help of all sectors in cleaning up effectively in the shortest time possible.
Among the project’s priorities is addressing flow of solid waste and untreated effluents into Manila Bay and its tributaries to reduce level of coliform bacteria in these water bodies.
Leones added that the work will also involve dredging activities to remove silt and trash below the surface of water there. “ The entire Manila Bay will be dredged .”
He also said there’ll be dredging of all Manila Bay tributaries. “ We must dredge because even if effluents flowing into Manila Bay pass treatment, this water body will still be polluted due to silt and trash underneath.”
“ Accumulation of silt and trash over the years already reduced water-carrying capacity, affected water flow and worsened water pollution in Tullahan River which is among Manila Bay’s tributaries, ” Leones noted.
He concluded that divers who checked conditions in Manila Bay’s middle portion last week reported a 4.0 meter-high silt and trash beneath surface of water there. Cleaning up, relocating Manila Bay’s informal settlers and educating the public on solid waste management are major activities for rehabilitating this water body.