The Department of Environment and Natural Resources said the water quality at the Manila Bay continues to improve this year, suggesting that the government's continuous restoration efforts are beginning to bear fruit.
In a statement, the DENR attributed it to the inter-agency Manila Bay Task Force (MBTF) for its diligent and effective implementation of the Operational Plan for the Manila Bay Coastal Strategy (OPMBCS) and its many geo-engineering efforts.
The task force is led by the DENR.
According to the DENR, the so-called "Battle for Manila Bay" brought about a major improvement in the water quality within the bay region after almost four years of rehabilitation operations, as seen by the gradual decline in fecal coliform level since January 2019.
“As of October 2022, the fecal coliform level in the National Capital Region (NCR) went down to 51,300 most probable number per 100 milliliters (MPN/100mL) from a high of 126,000 MPN/100mL in 2019, according to the Manila Bay Coordinating Office (MBCO),” the agency said in a statement.
As such, the DENR noted that other parts of Manila Bay also experienced notable drops in coliform levels, noting that the coliform level in Region IV-A’s bathing beaches dropped to 643 MPN/100mL from 3,040 MPN/100mL.
“In Region III, the coliform level fell to 1,243 MPN/100mL from 5,099 MPN/100mL. It also went down in the river mouths or outfalls in Region IV-A from 94,000 MPN/100mL to 47,000 MPN/100mL,” it said.
“At the same time, the coliform level in the famous Manila Baywalk area has significantly decreased to 658,000 MPN/100mL from a high of 5.75 million MPN/100mL.”
In terms of liquid waste management, MBCO reported that as of the third quarter of 2022, a total of 1,202 establishments had been surveyed and mapped, while 5,919 had been monitored, with 61 receiving cease and desist orders and 949 receiving notices of violation.
According to the MBCO, more than 125,000 cubic meters of solid waste were collected through trash traps, trash boats, and cleanup activities as of September 2022.
To comply with the 20-meter easement across the three Manila Bay regions, a total of 128.47 kilometers were delineated in the management of informal settler families and illegal structures.
Alternative livelihoods for resettled individuals were provided by Region III through the construction of floating restaurants and the development of an ecotourism area.
The MBCO reported that during the third quarter of 2022, 13,535 mangroves and 24,730 bamboo propagules were planted throughout the bay region under habitat and resource management.
In addition, the DENR reported 9,248 birds of 197 different species, while the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources recorded a total of 1,694 metric tons of fish harvest.
The DENR offices in the NCR and Regions III and IV-A, the Pasig River Coordinating and Management Office, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), and other member agencies, on the other hand, reported that 22,453.02 cubic meters of water hyacinths were collected and disposed of within their respective areas of jurisdiction.
The DENR said cleanup activities were conducted at the river system choke points to strategically eliminate the influx of water hyacinths due to the onset of Habagat season.