By Armando A. Mortejo
If the Philippines will not protect its rivers and rehabilitate those dying and dead ones, the people will definitely face a dire consequence: ecological catastrophe and economic debacle.
Such warning was echoed by Senator Franklin M. Drilon in a speech delivered during the first Philippine International River Summit convened in Iloilo City two years ago.
“I do not want to be called the Prophet of Doom,” he said, “but it pays to listen to concerned quarters who have been warning us that one of the fiercest battles in the future is on water. Indeed, the possibility that there will be less water available for people and industries in the near future is not remote in view of the droughts and famines experienced by many countries in the world. Hence, we need to intensify the campaign to protect our rivers, creeks and streams.”
Rivers and streams are bodies of water that flow through long passages called channels. River water is collected in many springs and tributaries on mountain tops or the slopes along the banks of meandering rivers.
The Philippines has 412 principal river basins in 119 proclaimed watersheds. However, only 19 are considered major river basins. The longest river is the Cagayan located in Region II. Other important rivers in Luzon include the Agno and Pampanga, crossing the plains of Central Luzon; the Pasig, a commercially important artery flowing through the center of Metro Manila, providing the main drainage outlet for most of the waterways; and the Bicol, the primary river of Region V.
In Mindanao, the principal rivers are the Rio Grande de Mindanao (known as the Pulangi River in its upper reaches) and the Agusan (where the world’s largest crocodile was caught).
“A healthy river is a niche of biodiversity,” writes Ricardo M. Umali, former undersecretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). “Depending on temperature, salinity, level of pollution, and especially the speed of water flow, different aquatic species will thrive in a river, its banks, or surrounding environment.”
Unfortunately, some of the country’s major rivers are undergoing various degradation. “Today, our rivers are facing threats and challenges that we, as stewards of Mother Nature’s assets, must address,” Senator Drillon said. “Among them are urban growth and development, lack of concrete or sound land use policy, climate change, flood risk, agricultural activities, pollution and increasing poor water quality.”
In fact, some of these rivers are nearly on the brink or gone already. Take the case of Metro Manila’s river systems. “All of Metro Manila’s rivers are biologically dead,” deplored the Silang-based International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR) a couple of years ago.
The common measures of vitality of a river are the number of bacteria present and the level of dissolved oxygen (DO). “Metro Manila’s rivers fail on both counts,” the IIRR claimed.
The number of bacteria depends on the amount of raw sewage and domestic waste in the water. This means that the more waste, the more bacteria. Domestic wastes such as garbage and human feces make up 70 percent of the pollution load in Metro Manila’s rivers. The remaining comes from industrial wastes.
A study conducted by the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) some years back found that the DO in the water of Pasig River was only one milligram per liter in many parts and plummeted to zero at certain points.
The biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) – the oxygen in the water required by aerobic bacteria so they could dissolve all organic matter thrown into the river – was measured at 350 tons. The virtual absence of this oxygen made it impossible for such bacteria to “eat” up the debris thrown in the river.
“This absence of oxygen is the main cause of offensive odor and the absence of biological life in the Pasig,” the DANIDA explained. In the past, the river was teemed with life and people came to see its beauty.
“The river showed off its bounty around the 1940s when, being relatively unpolluted, it generously flowed for people to wash clothes and take a bath in, for poets to admire, and for fishermen to take home a bountiful catch,” recalled Dr. Macrina Zafaralla in her study, Pasig: The Ecology of a Dying River.
Today, this scenario is all gone. As Manila developed with the imperatives of urbanization, industrial establishments conveniently mushroomed along both sides of the fabled river. Subsequent events tell of the usual path taken by all rivers that have witnessed the growth of great cities adjacent to them.
“With time, the river became an overused artery of commercial and industrial pursuits,” Dr. Zafaralla noted in her study. “In the 1960s, the water shimmered in oily squalor. Thereafter, water from artesian wells dug along the banks became unpotable for human consumption.
“As the water came to a standstill, water hyacinth blossomed in unimaginable thickets. Oil slicks, gases and other pollutants merged to spew out foul air. The degraded state of the river had never been more unbearable,” Dr. Zafaralla wrote.
“In many places around the world, rivers act as convenient dumping grounds for waste,” decried DENR Secretary Ramon J.P. Paje. “Many of these rivers, once teeming with aquatic life, are now either biologically dead or dying.”
Metro Manila produces 7,000 tons of garbage a day without the facilities to dispose of it adequately. Therefore, much of it – about 1,500 tons – is thrown into streams, tributaries and the bay.
According to IIRR, organic pollutants are the main cause of water pollution in the rivers. They include human sewage, animal waste, surface runoff from streets, cleaning materials, organic fertilizers, and wastes from food processing plants and pulp and paper factories.
“These pollutants are not directly poisonous to life in the rivers but they reduce the amount of oxygen dissolved in the water, aside from increasing the amount of carbon dioxide, nitrates, and phosphates,” the IIRR said.
In 2008, a survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations showed that five of every 10 Filipinos believe water pollution is a serious threat to their health and environment. In 24 provinces, one of every five residents quaffs water from dubious sources, the Philippine Human Development Report said.
Unsafe water means diseases – if not death. Contaminated drinking water and waterborne diseases cause 4,200 deaths a year and 500,000 illnesses. “An estimated 50% of typhoid cases (in the Philippines) are due to water pollution, sanitation conditions, and hygiene practices,” a World Bank report states. “Outbreaks are commonly associated with contaminated water supply systems.”
A recent World Bank study warned of a possible water scarcity problem in the country by 2025. By that time, water availability will be marginal in most major cities and in eight of the 19 major river basins.
Besides severe health concerns, water pollution also leads to problems in the fishing and tourism industries. World Banks says water pollution and poor sanitation is costing the Philippines 47 billion pesos in lost tourism, 17 billion pesos in lost fishing catches and 3.3 billion pesos in unnecessary health costs.
Save those dying rivers and rehabilitate the dead ones now – before it’s too late? As Senator Drillon puts it: “Think of ways on how to keep our rivers healthy so that the younger generations and the generations yet unborn can still enjoy them. Let us be good stewards of Mother Nature. Let us save our rivers.”
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