A Case Study

Water Pollution in Manila Bay, Philippines

ABSTRACT

A study to determine the dissolved oxygen (DO) and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD)
concentrations in major rivers draining into Manila Bay was conducted by Filipino scientists.
The study results shows that levels of DO at the surface part of the bay are better than the 5 mg/L
level, while more than 50 percent of the data for DO at the bottom layer of the water column
ranged from less than 1 mg/L to 3 mg/L. These results are not good for the many fish and
shellfish that live and feed near the sediment water interface of the Bay. The main cause of
reduced DO is the oxygen demand from the decomposition of organic materials in the Bay which
come from continuous discharges of untreated or partially treated sewage and industrial wastes,
illegal dumping of septic tank sludge, tank-cleaning or operational discharges from ships, urban
and rural land runoff, and algal blooms.

INTRODUCTION

Manila Bay is an important historical, cultural and economic resource of the Philippines.
Around 30 percent of the country's population resides in the Manila Bay watershed area, and
contributes as much as 52.5 percent of the national GDP. An economic valuation study (2005) of
the uses of Manila Bay's resources (i.e., fisheries, aquaculture, tourism and shipping), as well as
the benefits derived from key habitats (i.e., mangroves, mudflats and coral reefs), revealed a total
value of more than 8 billion pesos per year. This amount represents a partial assessment of the
total economic value of Manila Bay. The actual total economic value is, to all accounts, larger.
Such information provides assurance that the Bay is a valuable resource that must be protected
and managed sustainably. It is also a warning of what could be lost if concerted actions are not
taken.An initial valuation of damages to the ecosystems of Manila Bay, and the resulting social
and economic impacts, also completed in the 2005 study, were of the order of 4 billion pesos per
year, about half of the total use value, primarily as a consequence of human activities in the
coastal and watershed areas.

DISCUSSION

The major environmental problems identified in Manila Bay include: deterioration of

water quality; coastal erosion and siltation; overexploitation of fishery resources; degradation of
habitats; and loss of biodiversity. The health of Manila Bay is significantly affected by the rivers
that discharge into it. Most of the pollution is due to land-based human activities, including the
discharge of municipal, industrial and agricultural wastes, land runoff and atmospheric
deposition. About 21 percent of the organic pollution load to Manila Bay comes from the Pasig
River basin, with 70 percent of this load derived from households. These factors decreases the
dissolved oxygen (DO) needed by aquatic plants and animals to survive.

According to scientists, dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration of 5.0 mg/L or greater

allows the Bay's aquatic resources to thrive. However, DO needs vary from species to species.
As DO levels fall below 5 mg/L, living conditions for many of the Bay's inhabitants become
increasingly stressful. Although some species are more tolerant than others, at times DO levels in
Manila Bay can decrease to the point where fish cannot survive and fish kills result. DO levels
fluctuate throughout the year in Manila Bay's waters. In fact, this fluctuation is normal in a
healthy ecosystem. However, due to human impacts, the variations in DO levels have been
thrown out of balance, and conditions in Manila Bay can sometimes be harmful to the Bay's
living resources. The DO and BOD concentrations in major rivers draining into Manila Bay is
shown in figure 1 and 2.
 Figure 1. DO concentrations in major rivers draining into Manila Bay

Figure 2. BOD concentrations in major rivers draining into Manila Bay

Results from the scientists’ study indicated that levels of DO at the surface are better than
the 5 mg/L level, while more than 50 percent of the data for DO at the bottom layer of the water
column ranged from less than 1 mg/L to 3 mg/L. This is not good for the many fish and shellfish
that live and feed near the sediment water interface of the Bay.
 The main cause of reduced DO is the oxygen demand from the decomposition of organic
materials in the Bay. Organics come from continuous discharges of untreated or partially treated
sewage and industrial wastes, illegal dumping of septic tank sludge, tank-cleaning or operational
discharges from ships, urban and rural land runoff, and algal blooms.

CONCLUSION

The major environmental problems that cause water pollution in Manila Bay include the
deterioration of water quality, coastal erosion and siltation, overexploitation of fishery resources,
and degradation of habitats. Organics from continuous discharges of untreated or partially treated
sewage and industrial wastes, illegal dumping of septic tank sludge, tank-cleaning or operational
discharges from ships, urban and rural land runoff, and algal blooms reduced DO due to the
greater oxygen demand from the decomposition of organic materials in the Bay. These factors
affect the DO level of the bay which results to the loss of its biodiversity, since aquatic plants
and animals need dissolved oxygen to survive.