Water Pollution
N12 – Environmental Health Nursing/ Professor Kourdache / Feb. 9, 2018
Water Pollution in the Philippines
I. Water Pollution as a concept
a. Definition of water pollution
b. Common health problems stemming from water pollution
c. Sources of water pollution in the Philippines
II. Environmental Management Bureau
a. Policies/Projects in place to address water pollution
b. Progress in addressing water pollution
Water Pollution as a concept
What is Water Pollution?
- is defined as the presence in groundwater of toxic
chemicals and biological agents that exceed what is naturally
found in the water and may pose a threat to human health
and/or the environment.
- Additionally, water pollution may consist of chemicals
introduced into the water bodies as a result of various human
activities.
Common health problems stemming from water pollution
(Through ingestion of contaminated water)
1. Amoebiasis
2. Diarrhea
3. Cholera
(Through ingestion of chemicals in the water)
1. Arsenic Poisoning
2. Fluoride Poisoning
3. Lead Poisoning
(As a staging ground for various vectors and subsequent vectorborne
diseases)
Who oversees water pollution in the Philippines?
- Initially established as a supporting body for the Department
of Environment and Natural Resources in 1987, the
Philippine Environmental Management Bureau (EMB)
became a line bureau with its own offices and independent
enforcement authority in 2002.
- It is the national authority responsible for pollution prevention
and control, and environmental impact assessment.
- To promote compliance with environmental standards, EMB
has innovated an approach to engage industry and
environmental agencies in voluntary self-regulation. Under
the Philippine Environmental Partnership Program, the EMB
provides a suite of technical and regulatory assistance as an
incentive for industry to explore and implement cost-effective
and sustainable pollution management strategies.
u p c n
n 2020
What are the major causes of water polllution in the
Philippines?
Kinds of Pollution sources:
1. Non-point sources – run-off from rain and groundwater, as
well as landfills, among other sources. These are pollutants
not directly offloaded into the body of water, but seep or find
their way there.
2. Points sources - pollutants that are offloaded directy into the
body of water.
List of Terms:
3. Effluent - discharges from known sources passed into a body
of water or land, or wastewater flowing out of a manufacturing
or industrial plant, or from domestic, commercial and
recreational facilities
4. Freshwater - water containing less than 500 ppm dissolved
common salt, sodium chloride, such as that in groundwater,
rivers, ponds, and lakes
5. Groundwater - a subsurface water that occurs beneath a
water table in soils and rocks, or in geological formations
6. Leachate - water containing contaminants which leaks from a
disposal site such as a landfill or dump.
The three major causes of water pollution in the Philippines are the ff:
1. Domestic Sources (48%)
2. Agricultural Sources (37%)
3. Industrial Sources (15%)
*Regions with unsatisfactory ratings for their water quality criteria
include the National Capital Region (NCR) or Metro Manila, Southern
Tagalog Region (Region IV), Central Luzon (Region III), and Central
Visayas (Region VII)
Prevalency of septic tanks in the Philippines
Manila - >85%
Philippines - >70%
EMB approach to tackling water pollution
1. Hands-on Intervention (with local participation)
2. Educating the local populace
3. Monitoring for sustainability
Policies imposed to address water pollution
Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004 (RA No. 9275)
Section 2. Declaration of Policy - The State shall pursue a policy of
economic growth in a manner consistent with the protection,
preservation and revival of the quality of our fresh, brackish and marine
waters. (In other words, water quality management of all bodies of
water)
Section 3. Coverage of the Act - This Act shall apply to water quality
management in all water bodies: Provided, that it shall primarily apply to
the abatement and control of pollution from land based sources:
Provided, further, That the water quality standards and regulations and
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N12 – Environmental Health Nursing/ Professor Kourdache / Feb. 9, 2018 n 2020

the civil liability and penal provisions under this Act shall be enforced
4. Information, Education, and Communication Campaign
Projects implented to address water pollution - Information campaign sanctioned by the DENR to facilitate
irrespective of sources of pollution. education of environmental concerns at the regional and
community levels.

Progress reports and future innovations

Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System’s Administrator

Reynaldo V. Velasco has empahasized the need to conserve water,
develop supply sources and improve wastewater treatment to prevent
the water situation from becoming worse.

- 95.6 % of Metro Manila’s water source comes from Angat dam

- The NBAQ4 project entails the construction of a fourth

1. Water Quality Management Areas
- The objective of the WQMA is to protect, thru stakeholders’
collaboration, the water body and its tributaries by keeping
their water quality within the Water Quality Guidelines
- As of 2016, there are currently 34 officially designated
WQMAs in the Philippines.
List of Terms
• Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) - rate at which organisms
use the oxygen in water or wastewater while stabilizing
decomposable organic matter under aerobic conditions.
• Coliform - a type of bacteria. The presence of coliform-group
bacteria is an indication of possible pathogenic bacteriological
contamination.
• TDS (total dissolved solids) - sum of all inorganic and
organic particulate material.
• Indicator organisms - microorganisms, such as coliforms,
whose presence is indicative of pollution or of more harmful
microorganisms
aqueduct from the La Mesa Reservoir to the Balara Treatment
Plants (BTP) 1 and 2 to improve the reliability and security of
the raw water transmission system.
- The target completion for the NBAQ4 Project is in 2021
- ANGAT DAM AND DYKE STRENGTHENING PROJECT
- THE KALIWA DAM PROJECT
- SUMAG DIVERSION AND RELOCATION PROJECT
- IT IS ESTIMATED THAT IN 2025, WATER AVAILABILITY
WILL BE MARGINAL IN MOST MAJOR CITIES AND IN 8 OF
THE 19 MAJOR RIVER BASINS IN THE COUNTRY.
- • WATERBORNE DISEASES REMAIN A SEVERE PUBLIC
HEALTH CONCERN IN THE COUNTRY.
- • ABOUT 4,200 PEOPLE DIE EACH YEAR DUE TO
CONTAMINATED DRINKING WATER.
.

Water Body Classification and Usage of Freshwater

1. Class AA – Public Water Supply Class I
2. Class A – Public Water Supply Class II
3. Class B – Recreational Water Class I
4. Class C – Fishery waters, for agriculture, etc.
5. Class D – Navigable waters

2. Adopt-an-Estero/Water Body Program

- Adopt-an-Estero/Water Body Program is a collaborative
undertaking between and among the Estero Community,
Donor-Partner, Local Government Unit/s, other government
agencies and the DENR.
- Aims to restore esteros and other bodies of water, and
maintain their cleanliness and patency

3. Recreational Waters Monitoring Program

- All recreational waters shall be monitored for fecal coliform
levels and pH

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