MANILA Of the country’s 421 major rivers and 20 river basins, 50 are almost totally degraded and the rest are affected by partial degradation due to man’s neglect to protect them.
Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Lito Atienza presented this gloomy scenario on the state of our water bodies during the Forum on the Philippine Rivers at the DENR in Diliman, Quezon City where he called on everybody and the different sectors in the society to work together in cleaning up all rivers, lakes, streams and all areas where water freely flows.
“We understand that water is a natural wealth and life, but many of our countrymen still do not have that kind of understanding until now. It seems Filipinos are so slow in realizing the need to protect and clean our rivers and other water bodies,” Atienza said.
“We have to work together and do something in order to benefit from our bodies of water to attract development that is sustainable for our economy and our future.”
During the forum, DENR and ABS-CBN Foundation Inc./Bantay Kalikasan signed a memorandum of understanding for the rehabilitation and development of all river basins nationwide with initial focus on the Metro Manila River Basin which includes the Manila Bay, Laguna Lake, and Pasig River.
Under the MOU, both parties vowed work together to undertake activities aimed at improving the water quality of the river basin to the level of Class “C” water.
Atienza said water bodies of the Class “C” water quality have the following uses: as fishery water for the propagation and growth of fish and other aquatic resources; as recreational water class II for boating; and as industrial water supply class I for manufacturing processes after treatment.
Both also agreed to work together to clear and protect the river basins’ easements/embankments, resettle all informal dwellers in the area, ecological urban planning and improve the water navigation in the area.
The DENR chief said the project will not only concentrate on the restoration of Pasig River but also on the restoration of both Laguna de Bay and Manila Bay because the waters coming from the two bays flow into the Pasig River.
“So, we have really to attend to the restoration of these three branches of waters to full health and make them fully beneficial to all of us because development can be sustained and economic gains attained if our bodies of water are finally restored to its pure, clear and pristine original water,” Atienza said.