Bay not yet fit for swimming

IT IS now safer to play at Manila Bay’s shoreline minus the garbage, but swimming is still a big no-no. AFP

Despite Manila Bay’s relatively trash-free shoreline as a result of the government’s clean-up drive, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources yesterday warned against swimming in its waters.

The Department of Health also issued a similar admonition after social media went abuzz with children swimming in the bay tested to contain 330 million coliform bacteria per 100 milliliters.

“We advise them to wait until water tests can show that it is safe for swim­ming,” Health Undersecretary Rolando Enrique Domingo said. “Laboratory tests will show the level of coliform in the water and tell us if it is within accept­able levels.”

Manila Bay has recorded as high as 1.3 billion most probable number per 100 milliliters of fecal coliform content. The goal is to lower the coliform level to 100 mpn. The swimmable level is at 300 mpn.

The Laguna Lake Development Authority has already dispatched 14 teams of inspectors to gather water discharge samples in Pasay and Manila.

Aside from implementing Republic Act 4850, or the LLDA Law, the agency is also one of the implementing agencies of the Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004.

According to LLDA General Manager Jaime C. Medina, the teams, all armed with mission orders, have been given instructions to get water samples from the outfalls to determine whether an establishment’s effluent passes environmental standards.

The effluent must pass the SB level water quality of 100 most probable number per 100 milliliters when it comes to fecal coliform.