PASIG
RIVER
HISTORY
Before the mass urbanization of Manila, the Pasig River
served as an important means of transport and functioned
as the city's lifeline and center for economic activity.
Some of the most prominent kingdoms in early
Philippine history, including the kingdoms of Namayan,
Maynila, and Tondo sprang up along the banks of this
river, drawing their life and source of wealth from it.
When the Spanish established Manila as the capital of
their colonial properties in the Far East, they built the
walled city of Intramuros on the southern bank of Pasig
River near the mouth.
POLLUTION INCREASE
After World War II, massive population growth,
infrastructure construction, and the dispersal of
economic activities to Manila's suburbs left the
river abandoned. The banks of the river attracted
informal settlers and remaining factories dumped
their wastes into the river, making it effectively a
huge sewer system.
TIMELINE
1930s
itwas observed that fish migration from Laguna de Bay
diminished
1960s
People ceased using the river's water for laundry and ferry
transport declined
1970s
the river started to give offensive smells
1980s
fishing in the river became nonviable
1990s
Pasig River was considered biologically dead
PASIG RIVER
Is a river in the Philippines that connects Laguna de Bay
to Manila Bay.
It stretches for 25 km (15.5 mi) and divides Metro
Manila into two.
Its major tributaries are Marikina river and San Juan
river
Technically a tidal estuary
Important transport route in Spanish Manila
Is considered dead by ecologists
Runs between Taguig City and Taytay City before
entering Pasig City
Irreplaceable natural resource
BRIDGES CROSSING THE PASIG RIVER
A total of 13 bridges are crossing the Pasig River
Napindan channel- Bambang Bridge
Makati and Pasig- C-5 Road Bridge
Makati and Mandaluyong- Guadalupe Bridge
Manila andMandaluyong- Sevilla Bridge
Easternmost Bridge in Manila- Lambingan Bridge
Pandacan and Sta Mesa- Padre Zamora Bridge
Nagtahan Ave- Mabini Bridge
Ayala Boulevard- Ayala Bridge
Quiapo and Ermita- Quezon Bridge
Divisoria to Ermita- McArthur Bridge
Binondo to Manila- Jones Bridge
Tondo to Port Area- Roxas Bridge
LANDMARKS
Intramuros
Hospicio de San Jose
Malacañang
PUP Manila
Sta. Ana Race Track
Rockwell Commercial Center
Napindan Hydraulic Structure
TIDAL FLOWS
Pasig River is technically considered as a tidal estuary.
Towards the end of the summer or dry season (April and
May), the water level in Laguna de Bay reaches to a
minimum of 10.5 meters. During times of high tide, the
water level in the lake may drop below that of Manila
Bay's resulting into a reverse flow of seawater from the
bay into the lake. This also results into increased
pollution and salinity levels in Laguna de Bay at this
time of the year.
PROBLEM TODAY
The Pasig of Maria Clara's time is a far cry from the
Pasig River we see today. No thanks to the more than
300 factories and the homes of 10,000 families lining the
banks of Pasig which have virtually turned the river
system into a waste basin.
Yet, for centuries the Pasig River has been used, abused,
and neglected. Since the early 1500s, commerce and
day-to-day needs have pressed Pasig and its tributaries
into tireless service.
The river has now been declared a critical water body
because of the unspeakable amount of waste dumped
into it daily by households and industries. About 330
tons of industrial and domestic wastes are discharged
everyday in this waterway, depleting the biochemical
oxygen needed to support marine life.
SOLUTIONS
PRRP- Pasig River Rehabilitation Program in
1989- was an integrated effort to bring back
ecological health to the river system
- aims to upgrade the environmental state of
Pasig River within 15 years
PRRC- Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission
On January 6, 1999, President Estrada signed
Executive Order No. 54 creating the Pasig River
Rehabilitation Commission (PRRC) to manage the
rehabilitation efforts for the river and regulate the
dumping of untreated wastewater and solid waste on this
waterway. It also involves resettling squatters along the
Pasig and the development of parks by the riverside.
The PRRC adopts the goals of the Pasig River
Rehabilitation Program, especially that which includes
relocating squatters in the river area, developing parks,
keeping watch on industries along the river, and
monitoring water quality.
In addition, Presidential Decrees No. 600 (1974) and 979
(1976), or the anti-marine pollution laws, will be the
bases for prosecuting river polluters, including those that
pollute the Pasig tributaries.
OTHER HELP PROVIDERS
Sagip Pasig Movement
Piso Para sa Pasig
THE PRRC SKETCH DESIGN OF THE PASIG RIVER IN THE FUTURE.
LAGUNA DE BAY
Location- CALABARZON and Manila
Lake type- Crater Lake(theorized)
Primary inflows- 21 tributaries
Primary outflows- Pasig River (via Napindan Channel)
Maximum length- 41 km
Maximum width- 36 km
Surface area- 911 to 949 sq km
Average depth- 2.8 m
Maximum depth- 20 m (Diablo Pass)
Largest lake in the Philippines
Third largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia
On the island of Luzon, between the provinces of
Laguna to the south and Rizal to the north
largest inland water body covering 98,000 hectares and
situated at the heart of the CALABARZON
GEOGRAPHY
is believed to have been formed by two major volcanic
eruptions, around 1 million and 27,000-29,000 years ago
a large shallow freshwater body in the heart of Luzon
Island, Philippines with an aggregate area of 911.36 km²
and a shoreline of 220 kilometers
It is bordered by the province of Laguna in the east, west
and southwest, the province of Rizal in the north to
northeast, and Metropolitan Manila in the northwest
USES
A multipurpose resource
A navigation lane for passenger boats
Source of water for a nearby hydroelectric plant
Food support for the growing duck industry
Aquaculture
Recreation
Fishery
Flood control
Source of irrigation
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
Government data showed that about 60% of the
estimated 8.4 million people residing in the Laguna de
Bay Region discharge their solid and liquid wastes
indirectly to the lake through its tributaries
A large percentage of these wastes are mainly
agricultural while the rest are either domestic or
industrial
domestic and industrial wastes contribute almost equally
at 30% each. Meanwhile, agricultural wastes take up the
remaining 40%
LLDA (LAGUNA LAKE DEVELOPMENT
AUTHORITY)
The LLDA is the main agency tasked to oversee the
programs that aimed to develop and protect Laguna Lake
Though it started as a mere quasi–government agency
with regulatory and proprietary functions, its charter was
strengthened by Presidential Decree (PD) 817 in 1975
and by Executive Order (EO) 927 in 1983 to include
environmental protection and jurisdiction over the
surface waters of the lake basin
In 1993, by virtue of the devolution, the administrative
supervision of the LLDA was transferred to the DENR
by EO 149
PROTECTION AND CONSERVATION
THE ENVIRONMENTAL USER FEE SYSTEM
To realize the objectives of the creation of LLDA, the agency
implemented policies to curb the possibility of stressing the
lake’s assimilative capacity
The most recent policy was the Environmental User Fee
System (EUFS)
The EUFS was implemented by virtue of LLDA Board
Resolution 22 in 1996
WASTEWATER WITHOUT HEAVY
METALS
Volume of Wastewater
Fee
Discharge
PhP 24,000 More than 150 m3 per day
Between 30 and 150 m3
PhP 16,000
per day
PhP 8,000 Less than 30 m3 per day
WASTEWATER WITH HEAVY METALS
Volume of Wastewater
Fee
Discharge
PhP 12,000 Less than 150 m3 per day
PhP 24,000 More than 150 m3 per day
IMPORTANCE OF LAGUNA DE BAY
The lake is a major lifeline for most of the countryside
townspeople. Fisheries is still the lake's most dominant use as
of the present, with an estimated annual potential yield of
80,000 to 90,000 MT for both fishpens and open water
fisheries. Croplands in the lakeshore towns, aside from
feeding locals, contribute significantly to the food supply of
Metropolitan Manila.
Many workers in the Metropolitan Manila area take up
residence in the nearby lakeshore towns, notably San Pedro,
Calamba, Los Baños, Taytay, Pateros and Binangonan, to
name a few. Not only are the residential developments in
these areas more affordable, they are also relatively more
peaceful and less polluted compared to the big city
Laguna de Bay provides a major transport route that makes
mobility within the lake and around lakeshore towns easier.
The lake also serves as a reservoir for floodwaters to save
Metropolitan Manila from flooding during the rainy season.
The Manggahan Floodway was constructed to divert
floodwaters from Marikina into the lake.
The waters of the lake are also used to generate power to a
limited extent. A pump storage hydroelectric power station is
operated in Kalayaan, Laguna producing about 300 megawatts
of electricity. Efforts are underway to increase this capacity to
600 megawatts. The Lake offers sufficient water for a year
round source of irrigation for farmlands in the Laguna de Bay
area. However, these areas targeted for irrigation are rapidly
being converted into industrial and residential land use
