Sewer Systems of the Philippines

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  • The Sewer System of the Philippines

The River #1 Sewer System

As of the year 2012, the Philippine rivers continue to be the #1 sewer system in the Philippines.

The government from the barangay level to the Regional level has embarked on several yearly projects to clean the river. These projects in most instances have served more as political campaign and ego enhancement for government officials to boost their careers.

There is one fact that everybody knows from young children to old men and women; Nature cleans itself. Yes it does. In the case of the Philippines, mother natures tries very hard. We all know that every year during the rainy season the floods cleanses the river systems of the Philippines. This is a yearly purge that Mother nature does. But it does not stay clean for long.

The political leaders and top-notch government officials, usually right before the rainy season comes along (last week of April), will go on a campaign to clean the rivers. Plenty of volunteers, clubs, associations will be involved. There will be lots of picture taking and publication. They will do some work knowing full well that Mother Nature will be right behind to clean-up the rest. The rainy season in the Philippines starts in May.

This effort by the government to clean the the rivers in a way is "good". But it is also bad because it only shows the people that it is OK to pollute, because we, the government will be there to clean up after you. More effort should be put into the campaign for education and enforcement of the law.

The efforts of these leaders are good and all mean well, but they do not solve the problem. Because right after the clean-up efforts the people (including some of those who volunteered) go back to their old bad habits of throwing their garbage in the river and flushing their sewers into the gutters that empty into the Rivers. This continues on and on and on. Then the following year the government officials campaign again to clean the rivers and the cycle repeats itself.

When will they ever learn.

The Lakes - What a great place to drain the sewage into

People love to build their homes around the lake. They love the beauty of the lake. The fishing is great. The lake provides a livelihood.

But again in the Philippines the people and the government fail to recognize the fact that every house around the lake must have a sewer system that does not discharge into the lake.

Houses are built with septic tanks just a few feet from the lake and these septic tanks do not have leach lines and therefore they leach right into the lake.

Houses are built with a sewage system that drains right into the lake and they call these homes "vacation homes".

Most of the lakes in the Philippines are dying and it is no longer safe or healthy to swim in.

The Sea - The best dumping area for all the sewer systems in the Philippines

The barangays, municipalities, Cities, and Provinces, adjacent to the sea use the sea as their sewer dump. Most of the cities and municipalites in the Philippines that have access to the sea discharge their sewer system into the sea. The government leaders know that this practice will ruin the environment yet they continue to do it.

Underground Water - Pollution of the Supply of Potable water

Most coastal areas in the Philippines whose rivers are too polluted to a drinking water source rely on the underground water. In these coastal areas the water table is usually within 100 feet.

The government wells have filtration systems, however most wells belonging to private citizens do not have these costly filtration system. The danger lies within the crowded housing areas where citizens supplement their water supply with well water. These wells are just a few feet from the septic tanks.

Within a subdivision with no public sewer/septic system, the underground water is very polluted and full of bacteria and toxic chemicals that leach out from the septic tanks and into the underground water system.

This underground water pollution goes unattended and un-checked. Because, what is out of sight is out of mind.

Sewer or Water Filtration System

Most developed countries spend millions of dollars in their sewer filtration systems. The Philippine Government is fully aware of what is going on. They create the laws to "protect" the environment. The implementation of these laws in now a different story.

  • Here are some of the laws for you to look at:
    • REPUBLIC ACT No. 1383
      AN ACT CREATING A PUBLIC CORPORATION TO BE KNOWN AS THE NATIONAL WATERWORKS AND SEWERAGE AUTHORITY.
    • REPUBLIC ACT No. 3597
      AN ACT AMENDING CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF REPUBLIC ACT NUMBERED THIRTEEN HUNDRED EIGHTY-THREE, ENTITLED "AN ACT CREATING A PUBLIC CORPORATION TO BE KNOWN AS THE NATIONAL WATERWORKS AND SEWERAGE AUTHORITY"
    • Republic Act No. 9275
      AN ACT PROVIDING FOR A COMPREHENSIVE WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

Solution to the Sewer System and Salvation of the Water Systems of the Philippines

There is a law in the Philippines that protect the river banks
DENR Administrative Order No. 97-05: In the interest of the service and in order to promote ecological balance and protection of the environment, the provisions of R.A. No. 1273, P.D. No. 705 (as amended ) and P.D. No. 1067 shall be strictly implemented.

  • The Solution to the problem:
  1. Building Codes:
    Apartments, condominiums, commercial buildings, subdivisions must have a septic system with leach lines. If leach lines are not possible then the septics must be drained to a common area for processing. The lines must never be drained into the sewer system of the city.
    The contractors or developers must come up with a plan that addresses the problem of sewer and septic before the city/municipality can grant him/her the permit.
    If the development is in an area where the city/municipality does not have a sewer system in line, the developers must come up with a plan that will include the creation of a receiving pond to treat the sewer and septic drainage.
  2. Polluted Rivers in urban and partially urban areas:
    Most rivers in urban areas already have their river banks cemented (riprap) to protect the buildings that are built next to it. Most of these buildings if not all have their sewer systems drain right into the river. This is already an accepted practice in the Philippines. But there is a cure for this.
    How to correct the system:
    Install culverts within the "riprap" of the riverbanks or beside it. The culverts will be the main gutter system of the community. The community's sewer will flow into this gutter system which will empty out down river into a designated pond for treatment and then later released back to the sea or used for irrigation.
    Many communities in the Philippines already have a built in gutter system and most of them drain into the nearby river, lake or sea. For those that drain their gutters into the rivers, this will be a quick solution.
    The task to build this new system will start from the main river source and build it slowly down river.