Is there still hope?
I was 14 years old when I first visited Manila. Having spent my life in a rural area, I first thought it was really an awesome place: tall buildings, wider roads, more cars, and there’s the train! So my family and I got on the LRT and enjoyed the ride until we passed through the stinking Pasig River.
Ten years later, I visited Manila again and thanks to those Eco-groups, the Pasig river was no longer as stinky as before, and there are now small parks along the river banks. However, Pasig River is STILL biologically dead. According to the Eco-group Sagip Pasig, out of 421 rivers in the Philippines, 50 are in critical condition and half are classed as dead. Is there still hope for these rivers?
I was not surprised to find out that 70% of the pollution load in Pasig River today comes from human waste, and I think it’s the same everywhere in the country. Around 150 tons of domestic waste and 75 tons of industrial waste are still being dumped everyday in the river! If only the government could be strict in implementing the laws on environment protection to those industrial establishments (including rejecting bribery), that’d be 75 tons decrease in daily waste!
Stopping (or even minimizing) domestic wastes might be a very difficult task. The Eco-groups have started environment-awareness programmes in the communities along the rivers, but, people who have empty stomachs are most concerned on survival.
REFERENCES:
Pasig now one of world’s most polluted rivers
Inquirer.net, Lawrence de Guzman
Pasig River - Life After Death
www.ausaid.gov.au
Swimming in the World’s Most Polluted River
Sunday Mirror, Sarah Arnold
Last October 15th was Blog Action Day:
“On October 15th, bloggers around the web will unite to put a single important issue on everyone’s mind - the environment. Every blogger will post about the environment in their own way and relating to their own topic. Our aim is to get everyone talking towards a better future.”
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October 19th, 2007 at 2:49 am
Oh, you should see the state of some of the rivers in my country. absolutely disheartening …
October 19th, 2007 at 4:01 am
that ain’t the worst in the city of manila. at around after passing ong ping, well, am not sure about that creek, its a pile of garbage. ABSOLUTELY pure garbage flowing. I dun think fish or any marine life would survive there. =D Here in LocoLoco (Caloocan, XD~) City, we also have that, I think after passing the Manila-Caloocan Border line if your going from north to south of the direction. Haha. Sad reality… well…they’re just ignoring it. =/
October 19th, 2007 at 9:42 am
wow, that looks bad. it looks hopeless and i would think that the people just except that as their way of life, in regards to the pollution.
October 19th, 2007 at 1:17 pm
That’s just terrible. I don’t blame the people either, because, like you said, the first priority is survival. Reducing poverty will reduce a number of problems, but unfortunately there’s no large-scale, coordinated effort to do it. Such a feeling of helplessness.
October 19th, 2007 at 3:08 pm
Eye opening. Thank you for sharing this. It would help if people understood that poverty is not just economic but a condition of the soul.
October 20th, 2007 at 12:58 am
@nick
Too sad, isn’t it? Man’s the one destroying his home…
@rollchan
I wanted to post the “worst” picture that I could find but I didn’t have much resources and many sites are blocked in the office. ^-^
@rolando
These people seem to ignore this condition and throw more wastes to the rivers. But then, waste disposal management is not efficient and often taken for granted.
@pete
There might be allocated budget to alleviate poverty… but almost 100% of that budget falls into the hands of corrupt government officials. So sad…
@jon
I agree it’s the condition of the soul. In desperation and without any visible help, these people just give up and succumb to this harsh reality…
October 20th, 2007 at 2:51 am
darn…I want to live in a Green and Eco Friendly community… but…where ever I go, its this damn pollution I see. crap… is there anyway out of this “Kababuyan” phenomenon… haaayy….buhay…. =\
October 22nd, 2007 at 2:49 am
you know, i really think pasig could still be restored if our government remains constant and consistend with its projects to protect and save that river, remember, there was “Piso para sa pasig” campaign before? it was all ningas cogon, the government doesn’t seem to care and so do the people who live around pasig…tsk, tsk, tsk
October 23rd, 2007 at 5:32 am
@rollchan & lord manila stone
our country still has hope… especially if we are led by people who trustworthy, honest, and intends nothing else but to bring out the best of every Filipino.