LAHAR AND

FLOOD CONTROL
LAHAR
A lahar is a type of mudflow or debris flow composed of a slurry of pyroclastic
material, rocky debris, and water. The material flows down from a volcano, typically along
a river valley. Lahars are extremely destructive: they can flow tens of metres per second, be
140 metres (460 ft) deep, and destroy any structures in their path.
 FLOOD
A flood is an overflow of water that submerges land which is usually dry. Flooding
may occur as an overflow of water from water bodies, such as a river or lake, in which the
water overtops or breaks levees, resulting in some of that water escaping its usual
boundaries, or it may occur due to an accumulation of rainwater on saturated ground in an a
real flood. While the size of a lake or other body of water will vary with seasonal changes
in precipitation and snow melt, these changes in size are unlikely to be considered
significant unless they flood property or drown domestic animals.
Lahar and flood control structures
 DAMS
 CHECK DAM
 RETAINING WALLS
 BUNDING
 SAUSAGE GROYNES
 GABION/MATTRESS GROYNES
 PAVED DRAINS
 LEVEES
 FLOOD WALLS OF REINFORCED CONCRETE
 CHANNEL ALTERATION
 DETENTION PONDS
DAMS
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally
serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as
floodgates or levees (also known as dikes) are used to manage or prevent water flow
into specific land regions.
CHECK DAMS

These are small gravity dams, usually constructed with rocks and mortar or
concrete, of variable height and width. These structures are located in small or
medium-sized gullies to stabilize riverbed slopes and prevent soil erosion.
RETAINING WALL
These are rock/concrete block structures built on steep slopes anywhere in the
watershed, where the erosion of the base foundation threatens lands and/or homes.
BUNDING
Bunding also called a bund wall, is a constructed retaining wall designed to
prevent inundation or breaches from a known source. It is a secondary containment
system commonly used to protect environments from spills where chemicals are
stored.
SAUSAGE GROYNES
These are long, cylindrical, slightly flexible structures of variable thickness, composed of wire and rocks.
Groynes are placed at the foot of banks along small, slow-moving streams, where there are signs of undermining
and threats to permanent structures.
Sausage groynes are designed to stop such action by allowing the bank to collapse to an angle of repose in
such a manner as to form a moderate slope, which encourages the growth of vegetation.
GABION/MATTRESS GROYNES
These are long, flexible structures of variable thickness, composed of wire and rocks.
They are placed on the shaped banks of large, fast-moving streams where severe erosion is
occurring and many pose a danger to permanent structures.
Mattress groynes are designed to prevent the further erosion of the riverbank. They trap
soil particles to allow a build-up of soil; thereby encouraging the growth of vegetation.
PAVED DRAINS
These are concrete structures designed to quickly remove water from highly
susceptible erodable areas such as road-sides, under-bridges and steep slopes.
Levees
These serve the purposed of confining flood waters to the stream and to portions of the
flood plain. Levees are made of clay or earth fill material are being used with some structural
modifications and have proven quite effective. The slopes of an earth fill levee should be no
more than 2:1. The base should be wide to allow for a gradual slope. Trees and bushes should
not be planted on or near a levee because their root systems tend to weaken it.
FLOOD WALLS OF REINFORCED
CONCRETE
Flood walls require very little space and are often used to protect cities and
developed areas. They are costly to construct, but involve minimal maintenance
costs.
CHANNEL ALTERATION
Reduce floods by deepening and widening the channel by cutting meanders.
Sometimes these works can have undesirable effects, by aiding the sediment transport
process. Care must be taken when channel alternatives are considered
DETENTION PONDS
Ponds placed on and off-side, can minimize the damage to downstream
structures by reducing peak flows. They should be considered in the design of
downstream protective structures.
Watershed planning
and management
 Watershed planning
and management
comprise an approach to
protecting water quality and
quantity that focuses on the
whole watershed. This
approach is necessary due to
the nature of polluted runoff,
which in most watersheds is
the biggest contributor to
water pollution. Polluted
runoff is a caused by a
variety of land use activities
including development,
transportation and
agriculture, and may
originate anywhere in the
watershed.
Watershed planning and management involves a number of activities
including:

 targeting priority problems in the watershed;

 promoting a high level of involvement by interested and affected
parties;
 developing solutions to problems through the use of the expertise
and authority of multiple agencies and organizations;
 measuring success through monitoring and other data gathering.
 Watershed
A watershed, also called a drainage basin or catchment area, is de1ned as an
area
in which all water flowing into it goes to a common outlet. People and
livestock are
the integral part of watershed and their activities affect the productive status
of
watersheds and vice versa. From the hydrological point of view, the
different phases
of hydrological cycle in a watershed are dependent on the various natural
features
and human activities. Watershed is not simply the hydrological unit but also
sociopolitical-ecological entity which plays crucial role in determining
food, social, and
economical security and provides life support services to rural people.
 Watershed management is the study of the relevant characteristics
of a watershed aimed at the sustainable distribution of its resources
and the process of creating and implementing plans, programs and
projects to sustain and enhance watershed functions that affect the
plant, animal, and human communities within the watershed
boundary. Features of a watershed that agencies seek to manage to
include water supply, water quality, drainage, stormwater runoff,
water rights and the overall planning and utilization of watersheds.
Landowners, land use agencies, stormwater management experts,
environmental specialists, water use surveyors and communities all
play an integral part in watershed management.
Purpose of watershed planning and
management
 Watershed planning is a collaborative approach that addresses a
variety of water resource concerns and opportunities. As part of
the planning process, strategy recommendations are developed to
help restore the beneficial uses of impaired waters or protect and
maintain the quality of unimpaired or threatened waters.
 A watershed planning is a strategy and a work plan for achieving
water resource goals that provides assessment and management
information for a geographically defined watershed.It includes the
analyses, actions, participants, and resources related to
development and implementation of the plan.
Use of watershed planning and management

Watershed planning and management provides a

context for integration, by using practical, tangible
management units that people understand, focusing
and coordinating efforts, and finding common
ground and meeting multiple needs.
Siting facilities
What does Facility
Siting mean?
 Facility siting, in the context of
occupational safety, refers to a form of
hazard assessment that is used to
characterize the level of risk present in
workplaces involved in industrial
processing (e.g. process manufacturing,
waste management).
 A facility siting assessment evaluates the
potential damage that a workplace
explosion, fire, or toxic chemical incident
could cause to every occupied building in
the work area. This form of evaluation
allows for the risks posed by hazards to be
evaluated according to their environmental
context, so that specific risks faced by
workers within a specific workplace can be
fully understood.
 Facility siting is a continuous cycle. It is intended to be revised
and updated as processes and facilities change, though it is not
uncommon for the initial facility siting study to be considered "the
end" or the "goal." This ongoing cycle can be broken down into
six (6) steps:

 Corporate Practice
 Pre-Study/Initial Siting Study
 Detailed Assessments
 Remediation Planning
 Implement Remediation
 Management of Change
The age of risk assessment

 Facility siting studies (FSSs) were developed by various engineering

firms as a means to assist the industry in evaluating potential hazards
with regard to blast loads from accidental explosions, fires and toxic
releases. Quantitative risk assessments (QRAs) are often performed as
a follow-up to FSSs to determine the risks present at a facility as a
result of the identified hazards. Through on-site evaluations, analysis
of facilities and advanced software, reports are generated that provide
a detailed assessment and mitigation options.
What is Revalidation?
 One of the key required components of the facility siting cycle
is revalidation. In its simplest form revalidation is a verification
of the hazards assessments and the occupied buildings,
accounting for any large site changes, such as new process
units. As stated in 29 CFR Part 1910.119 section e.6,
revalidation is required every 5 years based on the original
study's completion date. In addition to providing a safe
working environment, there are several other benefits with
revalidation.
Benefits of the Facility Siting Cycle
When considered as a whole, the benefits from revalidation include:
 Consolidating various preliminary or detailed studies into a single revised facility siting
study to generate a coherent picture that can enable the owner to optimize mitigation plans
 Taking credit for operational changes and mitigations implemented
 Benchmarking the progress of the facility siting remediation plan
 Evaluating and revising existing hazard criteria
 Taking advantage of modeling, software and methodology improvements to illustrate
reduced hazards
 Assessing the effectiveness of the MOC system to identify changes to the site that
influence facility siting
 While revalidation can sometimes be treated in a cursory manner, there are many
opportunities and advantages available to owners and operators during the facility siting
process.
Role of Geographical information system in watershed
planning/management
Geographical Information System

A Geographic Information System is a computer system for capturing, storing,

checking and displaying data related to positions on Earth’s surface. GIS can
use any information that includes location. The location can be expressed in
many different ways, such as latitude and longitude, address or zip code.
Two Major Types of Geographical Information System
Formats:

 Raster Format – are grids of cells or pixels that are useful for storing GIS
data that vary, such as elevation and satellite imagery.
 Vector Format – are polygons that use points (called nodes) and lines that
are useful for storing GIS data with firm borders, such as school districts or
streets.
Data Capture

Putting information into GIS is called data capture. Geographical Information

System applications include both hardware and software systems. These
applications may include Cartographic Data, Photographic Data, Digital Data,
or Data in Spreadsheets.
Cartographic Data

Cartographic Data are already in map form and may include such information
as the location of roads, rivers, valleys, and hills.
Photographic Data/Interpretation

Photographic Interpretation is a major part of GIS. Photo interpretation involves

analyzing aerial photographs and assessing the features that appear.
Digital Data

Digital data can also be entered into GIS. An example of this

kind of information is computer data collected by satellites
that show land use – the location of farms, towns and forests.
Data in Spreadsheets

Data in spreadsheets includes population demographics.

Demographics can range from age, income, and ethnicity to recent
purchases and internet browsing preferences.
Spatial Relationships

GIS Technology can be used to display spatial relationships and linear

networks.
 Spatialrelationships may display topography, such as agricultural fields and
streams.
 Linear networks, sometimes called geometric networks, are often
represented by roads, rivers, and public utility grids in GIS. Using diverse
data capture, the linear network of a river may be mapped on a GIS to
indicate the stream flow of different tributaries.
Uses of GIS in Water Resource
and Management
Storage and management of geospatial data

Geographic information Systems keep data and records about water sources.
The data collected about water resources is stored on servers in different parts
of the world. Some of the information is usually as a result of processing done
on data collected by GIS. Huge amounts of data related to water resources
can thus be stored for shared access with the help of GIS.
Hydrologic management

Studies on the water have shown that water is in most cases under
motion, or changes its state and pressure with time. GIS comes to
play a big part in keeping track of these water conditions.
Hydrologists are thus among the biggest beneficiaries of Geographic
information systems. Various studies on the water can be
accomplished using well-engineered GIS.
Modeling of groundwater

Groundwater modeling involves the hydrologists trying to understand

groundwater behavior and characteristics. Bearing in mind the
scarcity of water so much study can be done to protect water
catchment areas. GIS can also help in the creation of models and
designs to help utilize underground water responsibly.
Quality analysis of water

Not all water that exists on earth is safe for consumption by human
beings or animals. Taking unsuited water can lead to adverse health
conditions. Through GIS, studies on a slope, drainage features, and
land utilization patterns can be used to predict whether the water in
a given area is safe. Due to the ability of GIS to handle large
amounts of data sets, sample data can be processed, stored as well
as reports generated.
Water supply management

As we have seen earlier rain is a handy resource that no government or

individual can afford to waste. Water supply pipes are laid on the ground and
can be monitored on a real-time basis. Leaking water system components can
also be identified and fixed on a real-time basis, which is much possible due to
the integration of supply systems with GIS.
Sewer system management

Most of the human waste in most parts of the world are treated and conveyed
to water bodies. However, strict and accurate supervision of sewer lines must
be periodically made. Failure to manage the sewer system well can lead to
diseases outbreaks that lead to degrading the country’s economy. GIS has
also played a commendable role in sewer system management. Treatment of
sewage can also be done with the help of GIS.
Stormwater control and Floods disaster management

During floods and storms, it is most likely that water will accumulate in places
inhabited by human beings. This can prove challenging for the rescue team to
go into rescue operations with little information about the flooded areas.
Geographic information System has to help emergency rescue teams to their
services safely and professionally.
Application in civil engineering

 Planning
GIS helps in organizing sets of data which helps the engineer resolve various scenarios
relating to the selection, study of eco system, routing of roads, environmental impacts etc.
 Data collection
GIS has all the various tools and functions that helps it users to quickly access required
data. For any engineering project to be successful, the engineers must have and work with
precise and accurate data.
 Analysis

the importance of analysis in infrastructure development cannot be over emphasized. It helps in

validating a design before further actions can be taken. There are various analysis carried out by
GIS such as soil analysis, water distribution analysis, environmental impact analysis etc.

 Construction

in this stage all the plans and paperwork designs have been made physical, I.e they have been
constructed. The GIS gives the engineers an understanding of the schedule baseline and cost
baseline, simply put the GIS helps the engineers to maintain their construction works within
available budget at the scheduled time.
 LAGUNA DE BAY
AND
MANILA BAY

(INTERACION,FIELD,EXERCISE AND CASE STUDY)

LAGUNA DE BAY

Laguna de bay is the largest lake in the

Philippines. It is located east of Metro Manila,
between the province of Laguna to the south
and Rizal to the north. A freshwater lake.
MANILA BAY

 A natural harbor which serves the Port of Manila (on Luzon),

in the Philippines. Strategically located around the capital of
the Philippines, Manila Bay facilitated commerce and trade
between the Philippines and its neighboring country, becoming
the gateway the socio-economic development even prior of
Spanish occupation.
LAGUNA THE BAY and MANILA BAY
INTERATION
 Base on resent findings, Laguna de Bay was once part of Manila Bay. This
evidenced by the discovery of drill cores of marine shell species which can also
found in the Manila Bay. These species of marine shells can also be located in the
upper shores of Bagumbayan (Luneta Park) and in the Marikina Fault in Pasig-
Marikina River Junction (Laguna de Bay Master Plan, 1995).
 The lake is one of the primary source of fresh water fish in the country. Its water
drains to Manila Bay via the Pasig River.
 FIELD (Laguna de Bay and Manila
Bay)
 Laguna de Bay has surface area of 911-
949km^2, with an average depth of depth2.8
meters and an elevation of 1 meter above the sea
level. The lake is shaped like stylized “W”, with
two peninsulas jutting out from the northern
shore. Between these peninsulas, the middle lode
fills the large volcanic Laguna Caldera. In the
middle of the lake is the large island of Talim,
which falls under the jurisdiction of the town of
Binangonan and Cordona in Rizal province.
 FIELD (Laguna de Bay and Manila Bay)
 Manila Bay with an area of 1,994 km^2, and
coastline of 190 km, Manila Bay is the situated in
the western part of Luzon and is bounded by Cavite
and Metro Manila on the east, Bulacan and
Pampanga on the north, and Bataan on the west and
northwest. Manila Bay drain approximately 17,000
km^2 of watershed area, with the Pampanga River
contributing about 49% of the freshwater influx.
With an average depth 17 m, it is estimated to have a
total volume of 28.9 billion cubic meters. Entrance
to the bay is 19 km wide and expand to a width of
48 km, However, width of the bay varies from 22
km at its mouth and expanding to 60 km at its widest
point.
 Laguna Lake
Recognizing the vast potentials of the lake and its environs for further development and
the perceived threats from the rapidly changing character of the lake region, the political
leaders of the provinces of Rizal and Laguna moved to enact in a legislation that was
geared towards the management of the lake and its resources, and to control
environmental degradation. Their initiative was intended to facilitate rational utilization of
the lake resources. They envisioned that the creation of an authority that will facilitate
cooperation, coordination and pooling of resources among national government
agencies, local governments and the private sector.
On July 18, 1966, the Laguna Lake Development Authority was
created through Republic Act 4850: An act creating the Laguna Lake
Development Authority, prescribing its powers, functions, and duties,
providing funds thereof and for other purposes. As stated in the law, its
mandate is to promote and accelerate the development and balanced
growth of the Laguna Lake area and the surrounding provinces, cities
and town with due regard and adequate provisions for environmental
management and control, preservation of the quality of human life and
ecological systems, and the prevention of undue ecological
disturbances, deterioration and pollution. It also reflects the wisdom of
the lawmakers in creating a separate agency to manage the lake
amidst the multiple political jurisdictions in the watershed.
Three years after the enactment of R.A.4850, the LLDA was
organized as a semi-government corporation. Presidential
Decree 813 of 1975 further expanded LLDA’s mandate to
address environmental concerns and conflicts over jurisdiction
and control of the lake. This was followed by Executive Order
927 of 1983, which further strengthened the institutional,
financial and administrative responsibilities of the authority
including its regulatory functions in industrial pollution.
The LLDA coordinates with over 30 environment and natural
resources and water-related agencies/ offices and the 66 local
government units within the watershed, each with their policy
and planning, regulation and infrastructure development,
environment and fishery-related functions.
The lake watershed encompasses 66 local government units in five provinces,
hence active coordination between the LLDA and LGUs in lake sustainability
through the representatives of the Mayors' Leagues of Rizal and Laguna in the
Board, Governors of Rizal and Laguna provinces and the Federation of River
Basin Councils, Inc., and at the operating level.
However, the LLDA Board is not all-inclusive in terms of representation of key
players in policy and program decision-making. There are more than 30 water-
related government agencies, non-governmental and private organizations operating in
the Laguna de Bay Region, each with separately formulated and implemented
policies, mandates, and programs and striving to meet relatively narrow and
stand-alone goals.
Manila Bay
Manila Bay and its corresponding resources are considered critical recipients of environmental
protection. As indicated in the 1987 Constitution Article II, Section 16 there exists legal basis for
environmental protection with the provision that: “the State shall protect and advance the right of the
people to a balanced and healthful ecology in accord with the rhythm and harmony of nature.”
With then Mayor Lito Atienza’s program Buhayin ang Maynila in 2002, the local government made
the initiative of enhancing the seaside promenade of Manila through urban renewal, upkeep and
improvements. What later became known as Baywalk, the facelift of the 2 km strip of central public
space aimed at creating a venue for social interaction and recreation.

With reference to its colonial history, Manila's waterfront expresses power through the dominant
classes which uses the Baywalk for exercise, fishing or socialization. The mix of land utilization
and social activity provides public access to the edge of the sea, and counters vagrancy and
mendicancy.
Successive changes in and around Manila Bay are largely due to the intertwining impacts of
continued industrialization, unrelenting increase in population, and the incessant human
activities catering to livelihood and habitation. These factors are directly degrading the
overall environment of Manila Bay and these impacts are manifested in the continued
deterioration of water quality within the bay. Several industries operate along the bay in the
highly urbanized Metro Manila area, while there are shipyard facilities in Cavite and in
Bataan, several more heavy industries, refineries and a power plant are present. At the
shipping ports and ferry terminals, average of 30,000 ships arrive and depart annually to
transport passengers, manufactured goods and raw materials. Industrial waste
discharges and discharges of untreated domestic wastes from drainage and sewer
outlets have contributed to the severe decline in the quality of water and sediments in the
bay as well as impacted on the existing marine habitats.
In early September 2020, the Philippine Mining Service Corporation began construction work on the
dumping of supposed artificial white sand along the coastline of Manila Bay along Roxas Boulevard
that was until then left no reclaimed. The actual material used included 3,500 wet metric tons of
processed dolomite rock that was transported from Alcoy, Cebu. Despite calls from advocacy
groups to cancel the project, it was still allowed to proceed by Manila mayor Isko Moreno, who said
that the project was already planned even before the COVID-19 pandemic in the country had even
begun, and that a valid contract without violation of anything under its can be scrapped and such
rules be changed "in the middle of the ballgame". The Department of Health had already cautioned
that the inhalation of dolomite dust can cause respiratory issues. Also, the Department of
Environment and Natural Resources even claimed that the “white sand” being poured in the area
poses no harm to the bay’s ecosystem. DENR vowed to finish rehabilitation efforts the bay despite
criticisms on the use of crushed dolomite boulders as artificial white sand.
 
Aquaculture and Fisheries of the Philippines and Laguna de Bay
The fishery resources of the Philippines include marine and inland
resources. The marine resources encompass the Exclusive Economic Zone
of 2.2 million square kilometers of which 266,000 square kilometers coastal
and 1.9 million kilometers are oceanic, shelf area of 184,600 square
kilometers, coral reef area of 27,000 square 13 kilometers and coastline of
17,460 kilometers. The inland resources cover swamplands of 246,063
hectares, existing fishponds of 253,854 hectares, and other inland resources
of 250,000 hectares including lakes, rivers and reservoirs.
The Philippine fisheries sector is composed of aquaculture, commercial fisheries
and municipal fisheries. From 1996 to 2006, in terms of volume, aquaculture
production has been increasing while commercial fisheries production and
municipal fisheries production have leveled off. Furthermore, aquaculture has the
highest average annual growth rate in volume of production followed by
municipal fisheries and commercial fisheries. In terms of value, aquaculture,
commercial fisheries and municipal fisheries production levels have been
increasing. Of the three subsectors, the municipal fisheries sector has the
highest average annual growth rate in value of production followed by
commercial fisheries and aquaculture.
In 2005, Fisheries contributed 15 percent in current prices and 22.4 percent in constant prices to
gross value added in agriculture, fisheries and forestry of the country. In the same year, fisheries
shared 2 percent in current prices and 4 percent in constant prices of the gross domestic product. In
2002, fisheries directly employed 1.6 million people with the highest employment in municipal
fisheries with 85 percent followed by aquaculture with 14 percent and commercial fisheries with one
percent.
Fishpond culture in Laguna de Bay was first attempted by the Philippine Fisheries Commission in
1965 using various freshwater species. The project, however, did not make much headway and was
later abandoned. Then in 1970, LLDA demonstrated successfully the commercial culture of milkfish
in fishpond in its pilot project in Cardona, Rizal. As a result, fishpond milkfish production grew by
leaps and bounds in the following years and proliferated in many municipalities bordering the lake.
From only 38 hectares in the 1970s, fishponds in Laguna de Bay increased to more than 30,000
hectares in 1983, greatly reducing the areas available for open fishing and navigation.
Fish cage culture was first attempted in the early 1970s in Laguna de Bay also inside the LLDA fishpond
pilot project in Cardona, Rizal. In 1977, the cage culture of Nile tilapia started to develop as a
commercial enterprise in the lake. The tilapia fish cage industry noticeably grew in 1981 particularly
along the Binangonan and Cardona side of Talim Island in Rizal and greatly expanded elsewhere in the
lake in the succeeding years.
Of the 445 fishpond operators in Laguna de Bay in 2006, 258 operators or 57 percent were
corporations, 164 operators or 36 percent were sole proprietorships and 33 operators or 7 percent were
cooperatives. The corporations covered a total of 10,795 hectares or 89 percent of the total area used
for fishponds in Laguna de Bay. On the other hand, the sole proprietorships covered 823 hectares or 7
percent while the cooperatives covered 499 hectares or 4 percent. From 2001 to 2006, the number of
fishpond operators and area of fishpond had generally increased. On the other hand, the number of fish
cage operators had increased but the area of fish cages had decreased. The average annual growth
rate in the number of operators was higher for fish cages compared to that for fishponds.
Manila’s new white sand coast
Philippine authorities’ latest efforts to clean up Manila Bay, one of the
country’s most polluted bodies of water, has come under fire after they
dumped truckloads of white sand over the shoreline at the end of August.
Mayor Francisco “Isko” Moreno celebrated what he called a long-delayed
rehabilitation move, but the artificial sand crushed dolomite boulders from a
quarry in Cebu province in the central Philippines drew a backlash from
environmental groups and public officials.
Environmentalists say the project passed over the public consultation phase and
lacked the necessary environmental impact studies. Lawmakers and public
officials have called it a waste of resources that could have been diverted to
supplement the country’s pandemic health response and provide gadgets for
public school students grappling with online learning.
“This project is not timely,” Gloria Estenzo Ramos, executive director of marine
conservation NGO Oceana Philippines, said in an online press conference. “This
will be a total waste of people’s money. Government resources should be
allocated more to helping Filipinos affected by the pandemic.”
The 389 million pesos project is part of the “beach nourishment program” being
carried out by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. The
program, in turn, fits into a 22-year master plan that aims to bring Manila Bay, the
center of the Philippines’ navigational trade and commerce, back to its former glory.
In addition to the economic outcomes, the DENR wants to make the water in the
bay fit for swimming and to keep heavy metal and waste contamination at a
minimum.
Years of unsustainable aquaculture and fishing practices, exacerbated by industrial
and waste pollution, have taken a toll on the bay’s marine life and water quality.
Fisherman lived along the 19-kilometer coastline have reported dwindling fish
catches; mass fish die-offs and red tide alerts prompted by algal blooms are an
annual occurrence.
The state of Manila’s iconic bay birthed numerous rehabilitation campaigns, beginning in
the 1990s, mostly centered on cleaning up the area. A landmark 2008 ruling by the
Supreme Court mandated government agencies, led by the DENR, to “clean up,
rehabilitate, preserve, restore, and maintain the waters of Manila Bay.”
To complement the ruling, President Rodrigo Duterte issued an executive order last year
to speed up the rehab. Since then, authorities have relocated thousands of urban poor
residents, started planting mangroves, and kicked off numerous cleanups.
But dumping dolomite most commonly used in construction on the shore to make it look
like a white sand beach is a step backward, groups say. “One of the objectives of Manila
Bay rehabilitation is to decrease the amount of heavy metals in its waters,” said
Fernando Hicap of the fisherman group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya
ng Pilipinas.
Thank you!