'Industries around Laguna de Bay violating Clean Water Act'

MANILA, Philippines - Presidential Adviser for Environmental Protection and Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) general manager Neric Acosta said recently that hundreds of industries in Metro Manila and CALABARZON are in clear violation of R.A. 9275 or “The Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004” which aims to promote and encourage the protection of the country’s water resources by local governments, Water Quality Management Authorities (WQMAs) like the LLDA, communities, and the private sector.

“This is very alarming. Studies show that there are hundreds of industries, businesses, and other operators that are blatantly violating the Clean Water Act,” Acosta, principal author of the Clean Water Act, said during the LLDA’s corporate planning seminar.

“With the country’s high vulnerability to climate change, increased demand for food security, scarce water supply, and flooding, the lake’s water quality and viability is very important and has to be protected. We have a law for that and it has to be enforced,” said Acosta.

Laguna de Bay is one of the country’s primary sources of freshwater fish like bangus, tilapia, and hito.

LLDA data show that effluents from some industries have contributed to the high metal content of the water like lead, increased biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), low levels of dissolved oxygen, and sedimentation in some parts of the Laguna de Bay, further increasing the level of pollution in the lake.

Based on standards of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Laguna de Bay is still a class C lake – water intended for fisheries. However, estimates show that the lake will be downgraded to class D – only meant for irrigation and agriculture – by 2025 if nothing is done to mitigate the damage to the lake caused by these industries.

“We can’t just go on, business as usual,” said Acosta.

“The LLDA has to be serious in performing its environmental, developmental, and regulatory mandates. Things we can control – human activity which causes the lake’s worsening water quality and viability – have to be acted upon, otherwise, we won’t just have leaded or unleaded gas for sale in the market, but leaded or unleaded fish as well,” Acosta said.

“We have to seriously look into the closing down of those businesses that are blatantly in violation of the Clean Water Act,” Acosta added.

The LLDA is looking at the first quarter of 2012 as the time frame for the closing down of identified violators.