Philippine Water Quality Problems

The Philippines is comprised of 7,110 islands with a land area of

about 300,000 square kilometers. The country has a total of 96,000
square kilometers of agricultural land which is about 32% of the
total land area. These lands are utilized for plantation of palay,
corn, fruit, trees, root crops, vegetables, coconut, sugar cane and
others.

July, 2004 census of Philippine population is 86.2 million and

projected to reach 100 million in 14 years. The current population
growth rate is 2.71% or 3 persons born per minute. Existing
settlement patterns show that 48.05% of the population live in
urban areas while the rest in rural areas.

With the rapid increase in population, urbanization, and industrialization

reduce the quality of Philippine waters, especially in densely populated areas
and regions of industrial and agricultural activities. The discharge of
domestic and industrial wastewater and agricultural runoff has caused
extensive pollution of the receiving water-bodies. This effluent is in the form
of raw sewage, detergents, fertilizer, heavy metals, chemical products, oils,
and even solid waste. Each of these pollutants has a different noxious effect
that influences human livelihood and translates into economic costs.

The adverse impact of water pollution costs the economy an estimated

Php67 Billion annually (more than US$1.3 Billion). The government continues
its fight against worsening water pollution by espousing and including among
its priorities, environment policies, legislation, and decrees that address the
growing need to control water pollution. In the last few years, the
government has employed economic instruments such as pollution fines and
environmental taxes.

4 Water Critical Regions

The National Capital Region (Metro Manila)
Central Luzon
Southern Tagalog
Central Visayas

Access to clean and adequate water remains an acute seasonal problem in urban and
coastal areas in the Philippines. The National Capital Region (Metro Manila), Central
Luzon, Southern Tagalog, and Central Visayas are the four urban critical regions in
terms of water quality and quantity. The Governments monitoring data indicates:

Just over a third or 36 percent of the countrys river systems are classified
as sources of public water supply:

Up to 58 percent of groundwater sampled is contaminated with coliform

and needs treatment;

Approximately 31 percent of illness monitored for a five-year period were

caused by water-borne sources; and

Many areas are experiencing a shortage of water supply during the dry
season.

Nearly 2.2 million metric tons of of organic pollution are produced annually by domestic
(48 percent), agricultural (37 percent), and industrial (15 percent) sectors. In the four
water-critical regions, water pollution is dominated by domestic and industrial sources.
Untreated wastewater affects health by spreading disease-causing bacteria and viruses,
makes water unfit for drinking and recreational use, threatens biodiversity, and
deteriorates overall quality of life. Known diseases caused by poor water include gastro-
enteritis, diarrhea, typhoid, cholera, dysentery, hepatitis, and more recently, severe
acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). The number of water-related health outbreaks
including deaths reported in newspapers is going up. However, awareness regarding
the need for improved sanitation and water pollution control, reflected by the
willingness-to-pay and connection to a sewerage system where they are easily
available, is very low.

Water Supply Issues

Drinking water quality

Water quality usually does not meet the standards set by the national
government, especially in urban areas. As a result, waterborne
diseases remain to be a severe public health concern in the country. About
4,200 people die each year due to contaminated drinking water.

Untreated wastewater affects health by spreading disease-causing bacteria

and viruses, makes water unfit for drinking and recreational use, threatens
biodiversity, and deteriorates overall quality of life. Known diseases caused
by poor water include gastro-enteritis, diarrhea, typhoid, cholera, dysentery,
hepatitis, and more recently, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). The
number of water-related health outbreaks including deaths reported in
newspapers is going up. However, awareness regarding the need for
improved sanitation and water pollution control, reflected by the willingness-
to-pay and connection to a sewerage system where they are easily available,
is very low.

Known diseases caused by poor water

gastro-enteritis
your stomach and intestines are irritated and inflamed.
Diarrhea
is an increase in the frequency of bowel movements, an increase in the looseness of
stool or both
Typhoid
an infectious bacterial fever with an eruption of red spots on the chest and abdomen and
severe intestinal irritation.
Cholera
an infectious disease that causes severe watery diarrhea, which can lead to dehydration
and even death if untreated
dysentery
an infectious disease that causes severe watery diarrhea, which can lead to dehydration
and even death if untreated
hepatitis
is an inflammation of the liver. The condition can be self-limiting or can progress to
fibrosis (scarring), cirrhosis or liver cancer.
severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)
is an inflammation of the liver. The condition can be self-limiting or can progress to
fibrosis (scarring), cirrhosis or liver cancer.
The Philippines is a Developing Nation that has experienced a rapid rise in urbanization and
industrialization as its population has grown rapidly. Unfortunately, this rapid development has
come at a price of increased water pollution, with 47% of all surveyed water bodies in the
country having good water quality, 40% having only fair water quality, and 13% having poor
water quality. Around 50 of the 421 rivers in the Philippines are now considered to be
biologically dead, supplying sufficient oxygen for only the most hardy species to survive there.

Causes of Water Pollution in the Philippines:

1. Untreated Raw Sewage. Due to a lack of sufficient and
effective sewage treatment infrastructure, only about 10% of the
sewage in the Philippines is properly treated. Much of this waste
is directly discarded into waterways, particularly in low income
urban areas that lack sufficient infrastructure to support proper
treatment of this waste.
2. Industrial Wastewater. Specific pollutants vary by each
industry, but common industrial pollutants include chromium,
cadmium, lead, mercury and cyanide. Such pollutants are
dumped directly into water bodies on a daily basis.
3. Agricultural Wastewater. Pollutants from agriculture can
include dead plants, manure, dead animals, soil erosion runoff,
and pesticides and fertilizers.
4. Domestic Wastewater. This can contain disease-causing
organisms or toxic chemicals.
5. Non-Point Sources. Can include runoff from rain and
groundwater and from landfills, as well as solid wastes. This
type of pollution can contain some of the same toxic chemicals
that industrial wastewater contains.
6. Other Sources. These can include spills from oil and other
chemicals, abandoned mines, and the dumping of wastes near or
directly into water bodies.

Solutions

There are a number of actions that the nation of the Philippines can take to
address its national problems associated with water pollution.

The people need to be made aware of the health and economic

impacts of water pollution, and they should be encouraged to be become
involved in decision making processes that affect water management
policies.
 Wastewater treatment infrastructure should be connected to all
properties that are accessible and connectable, and smaller treatment
solutions, such as the use of dedicated constructed wetlands to treat
sewage and waterless sanitation facilities, should be used whenever
possible to reduce construction costs and meet sanitation needs on a
more local scale.
Wastewater fees should be increased, with high fees and fines for
those who pollute water resources
Organic and ecological farming practices, such as the the use
of permaculture and biodynamic growing methods, should be adopted
throughout the country, to reduce soil erosion and eliminate the need for
polluting agricultural chemicals.
The Philippines passed a national Clean Water Act in 2004, with the
intention of protecting water resources. The Act aims to engage and
encourage local governments, water districts, communities, and the
private sector to work together to solve the nations water pollution
challenges.
Republic Act No. 9275 - AN ACT PROVIDING FOR A COMPREHENSIVE
WATER QUALI TY MANAGEMENT AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

In order to ensure that sectors fulfill the requirements associated with

the incentives, partnerships with local government and non-
governmental organizations are required.
Increased public education, multi-sector collaborative solutions, and
the proper implementation and enforcement of the Clean Water Act and
other water quality regulations in the Philippines will be necessary to
transform the nations water supply.

Household Water Quality Problems

SYMPTOMS PROBABLE CAUSES SUGGESTED TREATMENTS

Intestinal disorders. Water may or
may not have "off' taste or odor.
Contamination due to
surface runoff containing
fertilizer, pesticides, or manure.
Unprotected plumbing cross
connections. Sewage
infiltration.
Disinfect water supply with strong
chlorine solution and install automatic
chlorinator if appropriate. Install check
valves or other protection at cross
connections and maintain air gaps
between faucets and any possible
source of contamination.

Reddish-brown stains in sinks,
toilets, tubs, dishwashers, and
dishes. Reddish-brown stains or
yellowing of laundry, especially after
using chlorine bleach. Water tastes
metallic. Brown sediment in standing
Dissolved iron in the water
that is oxidized by air to form
iron oxide, which is insoluble.
(See also iron bacteria.)
After determining type and amount of
iron problem, select appropriate iron
removal equipment such as chlorinator
and sand filter, high capacity water
softener or manganese greensand filter.
water.
Reddish slime on walls of toilet flush
tank and reduced water flow. Slimy
material suspended in clear water.
Corroding water pipes. Water
dripping from corroded iron or
galvanized pipe has a rusty color.
Laundry may have red, reddish-
brown, or blue-green stains. Metallic
taste.
Rotten egg odor. Copper and silver
turn black in the water. Black stains
on laundry and porcelain. Black
particles in water.
Objectionable taste or odor other
than hydrogen sulfide.
Turbid, cloudy or dirty water. Dingy
laundry.
Black stains on sinks, tubs, and
laundry. Water may feel greasy.
Iron bacteria, which live on
iron in the water and eventually
harden into scale.
Low pH, commonly called acid
water; often caused by a high
concentration of carbon
dioxide.
Water softeners may increase
the corrosivity of acid water.
Hydrogen sulfide, sulfate
reducing bacteria, or sulfur
bacteria.
Decaying organic
matter, pollution from surface
drainage, insufficient chlorine
being used to disinfect water.
Silt, sediment, small
organisms or organic
matter, suspended in the
water.
Manganese (often appears
with iron).
Install a chlorinator to feed into the well
near the pump intake and an activated
carbon filter to remove excess chlorine
and other objectionable tastes or odors.
Depending on the acidity level, use
appropriate treatment such as aeration,
soda ash feeder, or neutralizing filter.
Compounds such as iron sulfide, calcium
sulfide, and sodium sulfide can interfere
with hydrogen sulfide removal so
multiple treatments may be required.
Appropriate treatments include
chlorination or aeration followed by
filtration through a sand filter.
Install activated carbon filter or automatic
chlorinator followed by activated carbon
filter.
Install a fiber or a sand filter.
Iron removal treatment also removes
manganese.