Factsheet Guadalupe River
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Factsheet Guadalupe river Introduction The biggest problem regarding the Guadalupe Issues The Philippines is divided into 17 regions river is the increasing amount of disposal into The enormous pollution in Guadalupe River is scattered across the archipelago. Region 7 the river. The waste consists mostly of domestic aggravated by the increase of population and which is found in Central Visayas, consists of waste and sewage water. The Guadalupe river settlement in the area, most especially that the provinces of Bohol, Cebu, Negros Oriental, is considered as the dirtiest river in Cebu City. Guadalupe is located in the highly urbanized and Siquijor. The Guadalupe River is located The consequences of river pollution range portion of Cebu City. This can be manifested at the center of Cebu City, Cebu which can be from health problems for people who use the through the latest cleaning project initiated easily seen and passed by people because it river water for drinking water, to environmental by the Cebu City government last September passes over the barangays that are near the problems like the decrease in organisms in the 2020. The garbage collected filled 163 garbage uptown and downtown parts of the city. The river river and the waste that the river disposes into trucks which is estimated to accumulate a total passes along a total number of ten barangays the sea. The Department of Environment and of 163.15 tons, (Letigio, 2020). Most of the namely: Sapangdaku, Guadalupe, Capitol Site, Natural Resources (DENR) gave the Guadalupe garbage collected were silt, plastic bags, and Sambag I, Sambag II, Calamba, San Nicolas, River a Type C classification. Classification plastic bottles. These trashes come from the Kalubihan, Pasil, and Ermita. The river starts at C means that the river is no longer safe for middle stream of the Guadalupe river where the the mountainous Barangay of Sapangdaku and drinking or bathing. (Letigio, 2019). population is more concentrated. The primary ends at Barangay Ermita where it discharges to source of such pollutants is mostly from the the Mactan channel. (Google maps, 2021) domestic wastes specifically from households and establishments located on the riverside. When a large volume of surface runoff flows in the stream, all these garbage are carried and transported to the downstream or to the mouth of the river which in this case is located in Barangay Ermita. Aside from the garbage, parameters such as DO, BOD, TSS, pH, temperature, nitrate, phosphate, chloride, color and fecal coliform are also highly monitored for it ensures the quality of the water in the river. However, all these pollutants intentionally thrown in the river streams is an archetype of the wayward misconduct of the proper disposal of solid wastes by the citizens. Google maps (2021) Joshua (2021) Level of Pollution DENR-EMB 7 incorporates Biochemical Both stations have high BOD concentrations, Phosphate and Fecal coliform have also been Oxygen Demand (BOD) and Dissolved Oxygen exceeding the maximum requirement of 7 mg/L found in the river, which come from industrial (DO) as the key quality of water xv monitoring for a Class C waterbody and 5 mg/L for a Class and animal and human waste. Research has parameters to assess water quality. To be B waterbody, as shown in table 1-2. As seen on furthermore found some non-point sources and considered good water quality, the waters must the results for the DO parameter, the river shows improper disposal of garbage led to a high BOD have a high DO and a low BOD concentration. zero oxygen in downstream stations and very concentration. BOD stands for the Biological Table 1-1 outlines the results of DO and BOD low oxygen in upstream stations which can be Oxygen Demand. A high BOD leads to a sampling for the Guadalupe river from 2017 explained due its location wherein it is part of depletion of oxygen. Because of the high BOD, to 2019. (Kitakyushu Initiative for a Clean the urbanized region of Cebu City. It can also be there is no oxygen at all in the midstream and Environment. 2005) seen that it indicates that the Guadalupe River downstream section of the river. The Guadalupe failed to meet the phosphate level, which is just river gets a Class B and C grade for the high 0.5 mg/L. (Claudio, L. E., etc., 2019) pollution, which means it is used for recreational purposes such as tourism, swimming, and Type of pollution bathing. The water is so polluted that nobody The Guadalupe River was found to have The Guadalupe river has a low level of uses the river in this way. To the surrounding exceptionally high pollution levels, with low pollution upstream, but a high level of pollution inhabitants it is merely a dump site. (Claudio, L. DO and high BOD, out of ten (10) surveyed downstream. The pollution consists of animal E., Pepito-Ochea, etc., 2014) rivers.Because it is located within the highly and human waste, garbage of informal settlers developed and densely populated Metro Cebu along the river, domestic wastewater, pigpen city, the Guadalupe River has been closely wastes, industrial wastes (from, among others, monitored. This river has exceptionally high the hospital), poultry wastes, drainages and levels of pollution, as measured by BOD5 decaying solid wastes. These result in bacteria concentrations, as well as low oxygen levels. being formed. The most common bacteria in (Claudio, L. E., etc., 2019) the midstream part of the Guadalupe river is Microcystis sp. This bacterium leads to algal bloom. This not only causes problems to manage the water quality but can also have harmful effects on animals and humans. (Canoy, A. etc., 2014) Joshua (2021) Past problems Cebu Water Governance Environmental Education Since there are a lot of illegal settlements and Just like the undisciplined people that are To further address the increasing pollution houses with no proper septic tanks, most living near the river who are disposing of all of activity in the country, the government has people living in these Barangays that are near their trash to the river, Cebu water governance passed into law last 2008 the Republic the river directly dump their domestic waste has been one of the problems for the proper Act 9512 which is entitled “An Act to and household garbage to the water. Some of rehabilitation and maintenance of the river. The Promote Environmental Awareness through these settlements are found within the edges of LGUs experience different problems such as Environmental Education and for Other the river causing it to get narrower even more lack of personnel, municipal divisions, lack of Purposes” which main purpose is to protect so that there are already accumulated garbage financial assistance, less information, and the the people’s rights to a healthful ecology and disposals along these edges. The high intensity divisions and jurisdictions of the agencies who livable environment and the recognition of the of garbage that is found in the river causes should be the responsible with water related role of the youth and their education in nation high risk of flooding more so that the city itself tasks are some of the causes as to why LGUs building. Its goal is to promote environmental is already prone to floods during high intensity cannot immediately address the river related education throughout the different levels of rainfall occurrences. Last 2015, the Guadalupe issues. In order to address this problem the education, from pre-school until the professional river overflowed due to high intensity rainfall Metro Cebu Development and Coordinating level. It does not only cater to the education of which lasted for more than seven hours which Board (MCDCB) was produced. The board people who are enrolled in schools but also made the local government unit (LGU) relocate consists of different public and private intensities to the public and private sectors and even 100 families that lived along the stretch of the such as the regional government agencies, to the indigenous people. This vision can river. Apart from the pollution and flooding private companies and organizations and the 13 be achieved through collaborative efforts of occurrences that is caused by the river, it might LGUs found within Metropolitan Cebu. In 2010, different agencies such as the Department of also be one of the causes for the dengue cases City Ordinance No. 2234 was formulated. It was Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), in Barangay Guadalupe which was the highest the creation of the Cebu City Natural Resources the Department of Science and Technology from the data that was gathered in Cebu City Office which aims to create better governance (DOST), Technical Education Skills Development by the Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance in environmental related objectives of the city. Authority (TESDA), the Department of Education Unit (RESU) of the Department of Health (DOH)- (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and (DepEd), the Commission on Higher Education 7 last 2019. (Napallacan, J., Bunachita, J., Development, 2017) (CHED), and the Department of Social Welfare Cabahug, M., 2015 and Fernandes, R. J. 2018) and Development (DSWD). (Navarro et. al., n.d.) National & Local Policies References Kitakyushu Initiative for a Clean Environment. (2005). A. Hudeib (09-2019), Guadalupe river, Google maps, found Demonstration projects .::. Activities .::. Kitakyushu initiative R.A. 9003 Ecological Solid Waste for a clean environment. Retrieved April 20, 2021, from Management Act (ESWMA) – Creation of Local on 21-04-2021, link; https://www.google.com/maps/place/ Guadalupe+River/@10.3109122,123. https://kitakyushu.iges.or.jp/activities/demonstration_ Solid Waste Management Plans from LGUs 8888953,3a,75y,90t/data=!3m8!1 projects/index.html which aims to reduce solid waste by 25% within e2!3m6!1sAF1QipNPwQlOttrkE4vzh 5 years after the passage of the R.A.