Fecal coliform levels in Manila Bay lower, says DENR

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) announced that there is a significant decrease in the level of fecal coliform bacteria in Manila bay.

The levels, however, were still way beyond the normal or standard level of 100 most probable number (mpn) of coliform.

According to Maki Pulido's report for 24 Oras on Wednesday, the DENR reported that the coliform levels in the following areas are lower after the rehabilitation started:

• Padre Faura outfall, from 330 million mpn to 7.9 million mpn
• Remedios outfall, from 160 million mpn to 35 million mpn
• Manila Yacht Club, 1.3 billion mpn to 52 million mpn

In a briefing, Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu linked the improvement to the recent closure of Manila Zoo, which has tagged as one of the bay's major pollutants.

"How come bumaba? The Manila zoo was the big culprit. And when they closed it, they did not dump the waste...It's already 52 million from a high of 1.3 billion," he said, citing the coliform levels at the  Manila Yacht Club.

The government has warned the public against swimming in Manila Bay because the waters remain unsafe and polluted.

According to the report, the DENR plans to install a pipe running from Padre Faura to the Yacht Club that would be connected to a sewerage facility, which is yet to be built.

The DENR also plans to clear what is believed to be three meters of garbage lying beneath the waters of Manila bay which had accumulated through the decades. — Margaret Claire Layug/BAP, GMA News