To help sustain the gains made to improve the quality of air in Metro Manila, Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Ramon J.P. Paje is urging the public to shun the costly firecrackers and fireworks and switch to eco-friendly alternatives to celebrate Christmas and welcome the New Year.
These traditional ways of marking the Christmas holidays after all are also taking their toll on the environment and human health, and could hurt efforts to cut down air pollution in the metropolis, Paje said.
Paje said the marked improvement in Metro Manila’s air quality during the last three quarters would be preserved if residents will do away with firecrackers and fireworks, which release polluting chemicals and metal particulates into the air, during the holiday festivities.
According to Paje, air pollution usually worsens during the year-end holidays because of the wide use of firecrackers and fireworks to welcome the New Year.
“We would like to reverse the trend of ending the old year and greeting the new one with thick smoke coming from firecrackers, and maintain our relative success in improving Metro Manila’s air quality,” Paje said.
Paje earlier reported that Metro Manila’s air has become cleaner as both the amount of total suspended particulates (TSP) and the level of particulate matter 10 microns in diameter or smaller (PM10) in the metropolis had decreased.
As of the third quarter of 2012, the TSP level in the National Capital Region was recorded at 106ug/Ncm (micrograms per normal cubic meter), or 16ug/Ncm short of the acceptable level of 90ug/Ncm set by the World Health Organization. Also, the PM10 level of 77ug/Ncm in Metro Manila during the third quarter is nearing the annual guideline threshold of 60ug/Ncm.
Paje noted that when the Aquino administration came in June 2010, the TSP level in Metro Manila was at 166ug/Ncm.
Instead of firecrackers and fireworks, Paje urged the public to use practical and environment-friendly alternatives to mark Christmas and usher in 2013. He suggested the banging of basins, pots and pans; biking around the neighborhood with the bikes tailed with used cans; torotot (horns); among others.
The DENR chief warned that people can suffer health problems from exposure to air pollution.
“Air pollution is a health hazard,” Paje pointed out. “Our health department has been very vocal about it that it can particularly impact on our children and senior citizens because of their fragile health condition.”
“Filipinos would enjoy the season more if they do not have to suffer respiratory and pulmonary diseases caused by pollution,” he added.
As in the previous holidays, Paje urged the public to practice the three Rs – reuse, reduce and recycle – to lessen the volume of garbage dumped in sanitary landfills that only emit methane gas, a pollutive and carcinogenic greenhouse gas.
He also cautioned the public against indiscriminate waste disposal during the holiday season.
According to the DENR chief, an estimated 30,000 tons of garbage is generated in the country every day, with 8,000 tons produced in Metro Manila alone. However, the volume shoots up during public events like Christmas and New Year.
It has been proven that poor disposal and handling of waste leads to environmental degradation, destruction of the ecosystem and disasters, and poses great risks to public health. [PNA]
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