Water pollution Marilao River, Philippines

Problems

• Water pollution Marilao River, Philippines

  The Marilao River flows through the Bulacan Province, Philippines, and empties in Manila Bay. 
  The river is home to millions of Philippine residents using the water for drinking and irrigation.
  Marilao River is filled with all kinds of garbage.
  
  The primary sources for polluting this river are tanneries, textile factories, piggeries, gold refineries, and municipal dumps.
  
  The dumping of non-recyclable materials, such as plastic bottles, is on the water's surface. 
  In addition, the water has rocks bearing heavy metals, which pose a health hazard to the residents.
  The river is prone to flooding, causing waste to be carried to the ground, resulting in soil degradation. The pollution of the water is detrimental to the fish industries in the Philippines since toxic metals such as lead contribute.
  
  The pollution has also affected the aquatic life in the river, leading to a decline in fish populations and other marine organisms.
  
  The Greenpeace report states that pollution has reached the river’s groundwater, and the extent of manganese, zinc, nickel, and cadmium there has made it undrinkable. Shellfish and freshwater fish showed evidence of metal contamination, exceeding limits for human consumption in some cases.
  Greenpeace found the 10-year Water Quality Management Area program-said to be the first in the country to be limited.
  
  Greenpeace said, “authorities are rightly focusing on controlling the sources of pollution, yet their proposed plan will not eliminate the use and discharge of hazardous chemicals, such as heavy metals.”
  
  To protect the health and livelihood of the more than one million people living around it, Greenpeace urged the government to set up a proper pollutant disclosure system through which the public could easily access a wide range of pollution data.

• Marilao poultry plants pollute rivers and get away with small fines.

  Poultry processing plants in Marilao in Bulacan have dumped wastewater into creeks that flow into the Marilao River and have gotten away with paying small fines for many years, the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) reported.
  
  Wastes from chicken dressing companies contribute to the putrid smell Marilao is unfortunately known for. But because of the lack of resources and personnel, the municipal government offices could not gather sufficient evidence to establish the extent of the companies’ culpability in polluting the rivers.

• Health effects of water pollution Marilao River.

  The contamination of the Marilao River has led to various health problems for the people living in the surrounding areas, including skin diseases, respiratory issues, and gastrointestinal disorders.