THE level of fecal coliform in the waters of Manila Bay continue to significantly decline.
Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Roy Cimatu said that based on the test results of the water samples taken last Feb. 8 from stations surrounding the Manila Bay, they have shown significantly lower fecal coliform from the annual average of 7.16 million most probable number per 100 milliliters (mpn/100ml) in 2020 to only 4.87 million mpn/100ml at present.
Cimatu also disclosed that the fecal coliform level in the waters near the beach nourishment project has dropped from 2.2 million mpn/100ml last Jan. 4 to 523,000 mpn/100 ml on Feb. 8, based on the average count from three monitoring stations.
Despite time constraints due to other pressing commitments and the coronavirus 2019 pandemic, Cimatu said the agency still persevere to address the issues in Manila Bay, particularly its water quality.
“Amidst the other tasks that we are also seriously taking on and the restrictions brought about by the pandemic, we assure the Filipino people that our focus to clean Manila Bay is crystal clear. We have doubled, if not tripled, our efforts to rehabilitate Manila Bay, especially in bringing down the water’s fecal coliform,” said Cimatu.
Cimatu, chair of the Manila Bay Task Force, said they will continue to implement necessary interventions to address the water quality of Manila Bay.
