The DENR will prioritize the improvement of Manila Bay’s water quality.
DENR — The Department of Environment and Natural Resources will prioritize the improvement of Manila Bay’s water quality before reopening the Manila Bay Dolomite Beach.
DENR Undersecretary Jonas Leones reiterated in a statement on Saturday that the agency will focus on cleaning the waters so that the public can step on the Dolomite Beach and can also swim in its waters as well.
Leones added that the DENR-led Manila Bay Task Force (MBTF) will work out a plan for the drainage system of the outfalls of Manila Baywalk in Remedios, Padre Faura, and Abad.
According to Leones, the wastewater originating from industries and houses will be diverted to the sewage treatment plant, while floodwater will be coursed through a huge HDPE (high-density polyethylene) pipe that’s 400 meters long from the sea wall.
“All of these activities will be completed this year or in the first quarter of 2022, considering possible changes on the alert level status of the NCR,” Leones said.
READ ALSO: Dolomite Beach in Manila Bay Reopens to the Public
DENR NCR Executive Director Jacqueline Caancan said that the waters in the Manila Bay Dolomite Beach have a fecal coliform level of 22,000 mpn (most probable number) per 100 milliliters (mL) as of October 25, 2021.
In addition, Caancan admitted that improving Manila Bay’s water quality and maintaining it to a low fecal coliform had been a “challenging” task for them.
Leones also said that the water quality in the dolomite area of Manila Bay needed to be immediately addressed in order to achieve the standard level of 100 mpn per 100 mL to make it “swimmable”.
However, Leones cited significant improvements in the fecal coliform level, which only ranged from hundreds to thousands, compared to millions or billions before the rehabilitation of Manila Bay.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources said in a recent press conference that the Manila Baywalk Dolomite Beach will remain closed to the public for the 2nd phase of its rehabilitation works.
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