Nearby hotels and establishments might be responsible for the discoloration of water in Manila Bay seen last week, according to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
“We suspect that this sudden color change from the previous dark blue to turquoise blue is caused by the direct discharge of wastewater from the treatment plants of buildings and establishments in the vicinity,” Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Roy Cimatu was quoted in a report.
The DENR secretary has inspected the wastewater discharge along the baywalk area and outfall No. 3 located near the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City last March 28 after a photo went viral on social media showing the discoloration of Manila Bay.
Cimatu ordered the DENR-National Capital Region and its Environmental Management Bureau to hold a joint investigation on Manila Bay’s water discoloration.
“We assure the public that the incident is now being investigated by the DENR to find out who is responsible for the discoloration,” Cimatu said.
“Once the investigation is completed, appropriate and immediate actions will be taken on who or what caused the incident,” he added.
Cimatu leads theManila Bay Interagency Task Force to enforce relevant provisions of Code of Sanitation of the Philippines (Presidential Decree 856), Philippine Clean Water Act (Republic Act 9275) and Ecological Solid Waste Management Act (RA 9003), ensuring the complete rehabilitation and rehabilitation of the Manila Bay, which is a priority program of the present administration until 2022.
