In the early 1990s, the Pasig River was officially declared as a biologically dead river. It has been considered as one of the most polluted rivers in the world. Household garbage, factory refuse, and toxic wastes of the oil refineries along the river's banks have all contributed to the death of this most important river in the heart of Metro Manila.
According to the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission(PRRC), the Pasig River's waters are now so polluted that no more fishes are able to live in it--save for the janitor fish--which can live in the most polluted waters, and which many fishermen consider as a pest*.
The waters of the Pasig have zero visibility, meaning the river has already attained the toxicity level where you can no longer see anything beneath the surface. Despite the recent regular dredging being done by the PRRC to revive the Pasig, the garbage that had piled up in the river bed has become so thick, it will take decades--even a century--to clean it up.
The PRRC has already banned swimming and public bathing in the Pasig River: human ingestion of the river's water can cause various kinds of diseases like diarrhea, cholera, ear infection, typhoid fever, hepatitis, and even lead poisoning. Or combination of them.
But the homeless children living along the banks of the river found that swimming in the Pasig is a fun way to escape the sweltering heat of the city. And no amount of health hazard warnings can restrain them from having the only fun they can afford. And so everyday--every afternoon--the intrepid boys are having fun and games--diving and swimming in what could possibly be the most polluted and deadliest river in the world.
According to the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission(PRRC), the Pasig River's waters are now so polluted that no more fishes are able to live in it--save for the janitor fish--which can live in the most polluted waters, and which many fishermen consider as a pest*.
The waters of the Pasig have zero visibility, meaning the river has already attained the toxicity level where you can no longer see anything beneath the surface. Despite the recent regular dredging being done by the PRRC to revive the Pasig, the garbage that had piled up in the river bed has become so thick, it will take decades--even a century--to clean it up.
The PRRC has already banned swimming and public bathing in the Pasig River: human ingestion of the river's water can cause various kinds of diseases like diarrhea, cholera, ear infection, typhoid fever, hepatitis, and even lead poisoning. Or combination of them.
But the homeless children living along the banks of the river found that swimming in the Pasig is a fun way to escape the sweltering heat of the city. And no amount of health hazard warnings can restrain them from having the only fun they can afford. And so everyday--every afternoon--the intrepid boys are having fun and games--diving and swimming in what could possibly be the most polluted and deadliest river in the world.
A human dolphin
*The janitor fish is known to eat fish eggs and fingerlings, thus contributing to the depopulation of fishes in the Pasig. Nonetheless, with or without janitor fish, the Pasig can no longer be able to sustain any kind of marine life due to its toxic waters. The growing number of janitor fish population is already a big problem among the fisher folks in the Laguna de Bay and many river systems in Manila.
No comments:
Post a Comment