PASIG

RIVER
HISTORY
 Before the mass urbanization of Manila, the Pasig River
served as an important means of transport and functioned
as the city's lifeline and center for economic activity.
Some of the most prominent kingdoms in early
Philippine history, including the kingdoms of Namayan,
Maynila, and Tondo sprang up along the banks of this
river, drawing their life and source of wealth from it.
When the Spanish established Manila as the capital of
their colonial properties in the Far East, they built the
walled city of Intramuros on the southern bank of Pasig
River near the mouth.
POLLUTION INCREASE

After World War II, massive population growth,

infrastructure construction, and the dispersal of
economic activities to Manila's suburbs left the
river abandoned. The banks of the river attracted
informal settlers and remaining factories dumped
their wastes into the river, making it effectively a
huge sewer system.
TIMELINE
 1930s
 itwas observed that fish migration from Laguna de Bay
diminished
 1960s
 People ceased using the river's water for laundry and ferry
transport declined
 1970s
 the river started to give offensive smells
 1980s
 fishing in the river became nonviable
 1990s
 Pasig River was considered biologically dead
PASIG RIVER

 Is a river in the Philippines that connects Laguna de Bay

to Manila Bay.

 It stretches for 25 km (15.5 mi) and divides Metro

Manila into two.

 Its major tributaries are Marikina river and San Juan

river
 Technically a tidal estuary

 Important transport route in Spanish Manila

 Is considered dead by ecologists

 Runs between Taguig City and Taytay City before

entering Pasig City

 Irreplaceable natural resource

BRIDGES CROSSING THE PASIG RIVER
 A total of 13 bridges are crossing the Pasig River
 Napindan channel- Bambang Bridge
 Makati and Pasig- C-5 Road Bridge
 Makati and Mandaluyong- Guadalupe Bridge
 Manila andMandaluyong- Sevilla Bridge
 Easternmost Bridge in Manila- Lambingan Bridge
 Pandacan and Sta Mesa- Padre Zamora Bridge
 Nagtahan Ave- Mabini Bridge
 Ayala Boulevard- Ayala Bridge
 Quiapo and Ermita- Quezon Bridge
 Divisoria to Ermita- McArthur Bridge
 Binondo to Manila- Jones Bridge
 Tondo to Port Area- Roxas Bridge
LANDMARKS
 Intramuros
 Hospicio de San Jose

 Malacañang

 PUP Manila

 Sta. Ana Race Track

 Rockwell Commercial Center

 Napindan Hydraulic Structure

TIDAL FLOWS
Pasig River is technically considered as a tidal estuary.
Towards the end of the summer or dry season (April and
May), the water level in Laguna de Bay reaches to a
minimum of 10.5 meters. During times of high tide, the
water level in the lake may drop below that of Manila
Bay's resulting into a reverse flow of seawater from the
bay into the lake. This also results into increased
pollution and salinity levels in Laguna de Bay at this
time of the year.
PROBLEM TODAY
The Pasig of Maria Clara's time is a far cry from the
Pasig River we see today. No thanks to the more than
300 factories and the homes of 10,000 families lining the
banks of Pasig which have virtually turned the river
system into a waste basin.
Yet, for centuries the Pasig River has been used, abused,
and neglected. Since the early 1500s, commerce and
day-to-day needs have pressed Pasig and its tributaries
into tireless service.
The river has now been declared a critical water body
because of the unspeakable amount of waste dumped
into it daily by households and industries. About 330
tons of industrial and domestic wastes are discharged
everyday in this waterway, depleting the biochemical
oxygen needed to support marine life.
SOLUTIONS

 PRRP- Pasig River Rehabilitation Program in

1989- was an integrated effort to bring back
ecological health to the river system

- aims to upgrade the environmental state of

Pasig River within 15 years
 PRRC- Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission

On January 6, 1999, President Estrada signed

Executive Order No. 54 creating the Pasig River
Rehabilitation Commission (PRRC) to manage the
rehabilitation efforts for the river and regulate the
dumping of untreated wastewater and solid waste on this
waterway. It also involves resettling squatters along the
Pasig and the development of parks by the riverside.
 The PRRC adopts the goals of the Pasig River
Rehabilitation Program, especially that which includes
relocating squatters in the river area, developing parks,
keeping watch on industries along the river, and
monitoring water quality.
 In addition, Presidential Decrees No. 600 (1974) and 979
(1976), or the anti-marine pollution laws, will be the
bases for prosecuting river polluters, including those that
pollute the Pasig tributaries.
OTHER HELP PROVIDERS
 Sagip Pasig Movement
 Piso Para sa Pasig
THE PRRC SKETCH DESIGN OF THE PASIG RIVER IN THE FUTURE.
LAGUNA DE BAY
 Location- CALABARZON and Manila
 Lake type- Crater Lake(theorized)

 Primary inflows- 21 tributaries

 Primary outflows- Pasig River (via Napindan Channel)

 Maximum length- 41 km

 Maximum width- 36 km

 Surface area- 911 to 949 sq km

 Average depth- 2.8 m

 Maximum depth- 20 m (Diablo Pass)

 Largest lake in the Philippines
 Third largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia

 On the island of Luzon, between the provinces of

Laguna to the south and Rizal to the north
 largest inland water body covering 98,000 hectares and
situated at the heart of the CALABARZON
GEOGRAPHY
 is believed to have been formed by two major volcanic
eruptions, around 1 million and 27,000-29,000 years ago
 a large shallow freshwater body in the heart of Luzon
Island, Philippines with an aggregate area of 911.36 km²
and a shoreline of 220 kilometers
 It is bordered by the province of Laguna in the east, west
and southwest, the province of Rizal in the north to
northeast, and Metropolitan Manila in the northwest
USES
 A multipurpose resource
 A navigation lane for passenger boats

 Source of water for a nearby hydroelectric plant

 Food support for the growing duck industry

 Aquaculture

 Recreation

 Fishery

 Flood control

 Source of irrigation
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
 Government data showed that about 60% of the
estimated 8.4 million people residing in the Laguna de
Bay Region discharge their solid and liquid wastes
indirectly to the lake through its tributaries
 A large percentage of these wastes are mainly
agricultural while the rest are either domestic or
industrial
 domestic and industrial wastes contribute almost equally
at 30% each. Meanwhile, agricultural wastes take up the
remaining 40%
LLDA (LAGUNA LAKE DEVELOPMENT
AUTHORITY)
 The LLDA is the main agency tasked to oversee the
programs that aimed to develop and protect Laguna Lake
 Though it started as a mere quasi–government agency
with regulatory and proprietary functions, its charter was
strengthened by Presidential Decree (PD) 817 in 1975
and by Executive Order (EO) 927 in 1983 to include
environmental protection and jurisdiction over the
surface waters of the lake basin
 In 1993, by virtue of the devolution, the administrative
supervision of the LLDA was transferred to the DENR
by EO 149
PROTECTION AND CONSERVATION
 THE ENVIRONMENTAL USER FEE SYSTEM
 To realize the objectives of the creation of LLDA, the agency
implemented policies to curb the possibility of stressing the
lake’s assimilative capacity
 The most recent policy was the Environmental User Fee
System (EUFS)
 The EUFS was implemented by virtue of LLDA Board
Resolution 22 in 1996
WASTEWATER WITHOUT HEAVY
METALS

Volume of Wastewater
Fee
Discharge

PhP 24,000 More than 150 m3 per day

Between 30 and 150 m3

PhP 16,000
per day

PhP 8,000 Less than 30 m3 per day

WASTEWATER WITH HEAVY METALS

Volume of Wastewater
Fee
Discharge

PhP 12,000 Less than 150 m3 per day

PhP 24,000 More than 150 m3 per day

IMPORTANCE OF LAGUNA DE BAY
 The lake is a major lifeline for most of the countryside
townspeople.  Fisheries is still the lake's most dominant use as
of the present, with an estimated annual potential yield of
80,000 to 90,000 MT for both fishpens and open water
fisheries.  Croplands in the lakeshore towns, aside from
feeding locals, contribute significantly to the food supply of
Metropolitan Manila.
 Many workers in the Metropolitan Manila area take up
residence in the nearby lakeshore towns, notably San Pedro,
Calamba, Los Baños, Taytay, Pateros and Binangonan, to
name a few.  Not only are the residential developments in
these areas more affordable, they are also relatively more
peaceful and less polluted compared to the big city
 Laguna de Bay provides a major transport route that makes
mobility within the lake and around lakeshore towns easier. 
The lake also serves as a reservoir for floodwaters to save
Metropolitan Manila from flooding during the rainy season. 
The Manggahan Floodway was constructed to divert
floodwaters from Marikina into the lake.
 The waters of the lake are also used to generate power to a
limited extent.  A pump storage hydroelectric power station is
operated in Kalayaan, Laguna producing about 300 megawatts
of electricity.  Efforts are underway to increase this capacity to
600 megawatts.  The Lake offers sufficient water for a year
round source of irrigation for farmlands in the Laguna de Bay
area.  However, these areas targeted for irrigation are rapidly
being converted into industrial and residential land use