The national government’s continuing rehabilitation of Manila Bay has considerably lowered the level of coliform bacteria in the natural harbor’s water bordering the Baywalk area.

Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Climate Change Service officer-in-charge Director Elenida Basug said on Friday the rehabilitation’s solid waste management (SWM) strategies, geoengineering interventions and monitoring of establishments’ regulatory compliance helped lower the coliform level and improved the quality of water.

“That (coliform bacteria) level decreased to an average (of) 21,100 most probable number (mpn) per 100 milliliters (ml) in the third quarter of 2021 from 5.75 million mpn per 100 ml in 2019,” she said, citing Manila Bay Coordinating Office date during the weekly Ang Tinig Klima program.

Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu, during an inspection last June, said the standard fecal coliform level in Manila Bay should drop to 100 mpn/100ml for its waters to become safe for swimming.

Basug said about 19,000 clean-up activities linked to Manila Bay’s rehabilitation, and declogging between January and September 2021 were carried out, with 50,618 cubic meters of waste from shores and tributaries of this water body were recovered.

An estimated 82,000 volunteers and “estero” rangers were involved in such efforts, she added.

To help promote a clean environment, Basug said DENR’s office for National Capital Region provided pushcarts for selected barangays in the bay area.

Those pushcarts will help improve and facilitate the collection and transport of waste there, she noted.

“DENR reported noticeable improvement in quality of Manila Bay’s water and promised to continue its work in accordance with the continuing Supreme Court (SC) mandamus,” she said.

On Dec. 18, 2008, the Supreme Court issued SC Mandamus on Manila Bay directing 13 government agencies to clean up, rehabilitate, and preserve Manila Bay, and restore and maintain its waters fit for swimming and other forms of contact recreation.

Manila Bay’s DENR-led rehabilitation began in January 2019 which includes the creation of the Dolomite beach along Baywalk.

“Secretary Cimatu said the Dolomite beach aims to inspire behavior change among Filipinos by showing that a beautiful and clean environment is possible if we strive to achieve this,” Basug said. (PNA)