The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) vowed Thursday, Nov. 4, to strengthen efforts to reduce pollution in Manila Bay.
DOST Secretary Fortunato “Boy” T. de la Peña laments that in terms of major environmental problems, Manila Bay faces the deterioration of water quality, coastal erosion and siltation, overexploitation of fishery resources, degradation of habitats, and loss of biodiversity.
“Most of the pollution was from land-based human activities, including the discharge of municipal, industrial, and agricultural wastes, land runoff and atmospheric deposition,” he said in a message during the “Project e-SMART Stakeholder Consultation: Updates and Discussions on the Hydrologic and Hydrodynamic Analysis of the Manila Bay Environment” on Thursday.
Project e-SMART or the Eco-system, Modeling and Material Transport Analysis for the Rehabilitation of Manila Bay is one of the four component projects of the two-year Integrated Mapping, Monitoring, Modeling and Management System for Manila Bay and Linked Systems or IM4ManilaBay program.
Launched in January 2020, IM4ManilaBay program is aimed at conserving Manila Bay.
De la Peña said he was looking forward to how the researchers from the University of the Philippines Diliman characterize Manila Bay and its watershed as well as linked environments to provide information for rehabilitation and management through water quality monitoring and mapping, hydrodynamic and hydrologic modeling, and dredge materials and solid waste management.
“True to our mission to bring science closer to Filipinos, we will further strengthen our efforts to reduce environmental pollution and provide greater access to clean and safe water by generating environmentally sound game-changing technologies and policies,” he said.
He urged concerned stakeholders to “continue collaborating with DOST and together let us bring a stronger nation.”
The DOST through the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD) supported the IM4ManilaBay program with funding amounting to P65.9 million.