by: Mary Rose Sarmiento | @maryrose_TRL
October, 07,2022
The DENR mentioned that more than 4,000 volunteers had helped clean up the 500-meter stretch of beach.
Volunteers from several governmental and non-governmental organizations engage with the coastline cleanup at Dolomite Beach.
According to Environment Undersecretary Jonas Leones, 5,000 volunteers assisted the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the Climate Change Commission, and other organizations in the cleanup.
The Manila City government, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, the Philippine Army, the Philippine Air Force, the Philippine National Police (PNP), the Philippine National Police-Maritime Group, and the Philippine Coast Guard were just a few of the participating national, local, and private organizations that provided more garbage bags.
Benny Antiporda, the head of the National Irrigation Administration, defended the project at the time and even claimed that the funding was not enough to improve the water quality in the bay.
While Dragon Boat Federation of the Philippines, Manila Water Company Inc., and Maynilad Water Services Inc. participated in the event, according to the DENR.
Most of the garbage that was collected, according to Rodelina de Villa, Director of the DENR-Metropolitan Environmental Office (MEO) West OIC, was made up of plastic waste, dried water hyacinths, and marine debris.
"Volunteers from the government, private organizations, and private individuals also came to the Baywalk's coastline with their own garbage bags" , De Villa explained.
According to De Villa, the Manila Baywalk is an example of how all sectors must work together to reduce coastal litter through focused beach cleanup operations.
“However big and daunting the task is, we can make a difference by bringing communities and people together to clean up beaches. Proof of this are organizations and individuals coming together at the Baywalk Dolomite Beach" she added.
She said that out of the 4,500 bags, 3,500 were supplied by the DENR Central Office via the Manila Bay Coordinating Office (MBCO), and 1,500 by the DENR-National Capital Region, which also includes the DENR-MEO West.
While Manila Mayor Sheila "Honey" Lacuna, Manila police officers, and other volunteers concentrated their efforts at Baseco Beach near Manila's port area, members of the Philippine Coast Guard patrolled the bay and collected rubbish from its waters.
Data from the DENR-MEO-West, whose responsibility it is to manage the upkeep of the 500-meter beach promenade, reveals that 147,939 sacks of solid garbage were gathered during cleanup efforts that took place from July 12 to September 14.
In addition to collecting 83,109 sacks of water hyacinth at that time, 2,224 sacks of marine debris were also collected.
While more than 20 sacks of plastic debris, according to Earth Island Institute, were obtained. As a result of people becoming less mobile due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization attributed the increased use of plastic in the transportation of goods for the rise in plastic garbage. It also mentioned that a lot of used test kits and face masks were gathered.
Another, realistic figure per 100 milliliters (MPN/100 mL) of coliform decreased to 1,700 mpn/100 mL at the Dolomite Beach from a geomean of 1.6 million mpn/100 mL in September 2020. Artificial white sand has been laid there as a tourist attraction.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) asserts that decreasing fecal coliform levels have improved the water quality in several areas of Manila Bay.
In all nine of its critical stations in the third quarter of 2021, the Baywalk area, one of the top targets in an ongoing rehabilitation effort, saw a decline in coliform levels, the DENR reported in a press release on Wednesday.
In the case of the Dolomite sand scattered along the beach of Manila Bay, systematic monsoon or seasonal current monitoring should be carried out to track the general pattern of the direction of movement and deposition of piles of sediment in the bay. Although the process will take some time, continuous studies and monitoring will allow DENR to forecast or simulate how the fed sand will change.
On the other hand, the agency urged the public to participate in the cleanup on Saturday by posting a public advisory on its Facebook page.
One of eight cleanup events organized by DENR in Metro Manila in honor of ICC Day, which is held every third Saturday in September, is the event with the theme Fighting for Trash Free Seas-Pilipinas: Ending the Flow of Trash at the Source.
However, the message received negative feedback on Facebook and other social media websites.
"You spent millions on the dolomite, then it would be the Filipino people who ended up cleaning", one user remarked.
Since it became accessible to the public in 2021, the beach has undergone numerous cleanup campaigns.
Von Hernandez, global coordinator of Break Free From Plastic explained "We can't be spending millions of resources yearly without successfully tackling the roots of the problem"
The P389 million artificial beach was closed earlier this year for the second phase of restoration, for which a P265 million budget was added to the project.
Crushed dolomite rock that is obtained from significant dolomite mines is used to make the white sand. The synthetic sand can hurt marine life, according to the Kalikasan Environment Group, and mining processes are destructive. Despite this, tens of thousands of Manila people have been swarming to the beach to see the city's newest popular topic of debate.
The Manila Bay white sand initiative is causing such a commotion among the public, and it all began with miscommunications. These communication problems include improper timing of the project during the pandemic's peak which resulted in information gaps and increased speculative behavior.
Several environmental groups and experts voiced concerns about the alleged effects of crushed dolomite on the environment when the dolomite beach first opened to the public in September of last year. The dolomite sand used for the artificial beach, according to the DENR, was secure. As a result, the dolomite beach was dogged by controversy.
KEYWORDS
FAT HEAD KEYWORDS:
DENR
Dolomite Beach
Dolomite Sand
Dolomite Rock
Manila Baywalk
Manila City
Manila Bay
LONG TAIL KEYWORDS:
cleanup of Manila Baywalk
Dolomite sand scattered along the beach of Manila Bay
Crushed dolomite rock
Manila Bay white sand initiative is causing such a commotion among the public
decreasing fecal coliform levels have improved the water quality in several areas of Manila Bay
tens of thousands of Manila people have been swarming to the beach to see the city's newest popular topic of debate
REFERENCES:
Angel Yabut, D. R. (2022, September 18). Dolomite Beach becomes focus of coastal cleanup. INQUIRER.net. Retrieved October 7, 2022, from https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1665969/dolomite-beach-becomes-focus-of-coastal-cleanup
Jocson, L. M. J. C. (2022, January 5). Manila Bay water quality improves - DENR. BusinessWorld Online. Retrieved October 7, 2022, from https://www.bworldonline.com/the-nation/2022/01/05/421881/manila-bay-water-quality-improves-denr/
Liu, P. (2022, October 5). DENR: Dolomite Beach yields 4,500 sacks of TRA. IKOT.PH. Retrieved October 7, 2022, from https://www.ikot.ph/denr-dolomite-beach-yields-4500-sacks-of-tra/#:~:text=The%20Department%20of%20Environment%20and,least%204%2C500%20sacks%20of%20garbage
News, A. B. S.-C. B. N., & Niko Baua, A. B. S.-C. B. N. N. (2022, September 26). Sacks of trash recovered from Dolomite Beach after Karding. ABS. Retrieved October 7, 2022, from https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/09/26/22/sacks-of-trash-recovered-from-dolomite-beach-after-karding
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