Resurrecting a Dead River through IEM

Hello mates! I hope you are all doing well.

Have you imagined yourself walking on water just like what Jesus Christ did as was told in the bible? Maybe you were now thinking if it is really possible? This posting is not about the bible however. I just remember this one place in the Philippines which we often joke around (in a sad way) as you can literally walk on top of the river. Well, not in a river of water though but rather in a river of waste. I am referring with the Marilao-Meycauyan-Obando River System (MMORS) which has been a hot topic for major newspapers.

In 2007, the New York City-based environment group Blacksmith Institute included MMORS in the "Dirty 30", a list of the most polluted places in the world. It found the MMORS highly contaminated with wastes and heavy metals coming from industries, such as lead acid battery recycling, gold and precious metals refining, jewelry making, and open dumpsites. This pollution is also hastened with various solid wastes directly and indirectly being dumped by the surrounding households within the whole stretch of the river system. This situation has been the reason for declaring MMORS as ‘biologically dead’, having zero levels of oxygen that cannot sustain life. This is such a sad tale for something that has supported many lives before by providing food and other livelihood.

However hopeless it may seem, many Filipinos still believe that the river can be resurrected, a ‘life after death’ miracle (Yeah, that’s the spirit!). The question now is how to do it? What actions can be undertaken to revive it? More importantly, how can IEM address this problem and support actions to solve it?

Potential Solutions with IEM as ‘Special Ingredient’

I believe that current actions have already been made by the government to address the problem and bring MMORS back to life. However, I have yet to hear any definite or significant result from those actions. Hence, I will try my very best to suggest some measures that incorporates some IEM principles which can potentially help solving the problem.

First, in order to prevent and avoid further accumulation of various wastes into the river, pollution shall stop at its sources. This measure incorporates the principle of IEM which is comprehensive, strategic, and coordinative. Comprehensive in the sense that it shall holistically include all potential sources of pollution throughout the river system including current management practices. On the other hand, it can be considered strategic because it will facilitate mapping or detailing various systems. For instance, it can provide detailed information with regard to location of industries, households and intensity of different wastes. In other words, it provides direction in treating the problem. Lastly it will facilitate better coordination and interaction of various national and local government agencies and other major key stakeholders. Several meetings and consultation between different sectors will hasten the prevention of pollution at source.

Second, creation of an oversight management body is necessary to facilitate monitoring and implementation of activities and imposition of penalties to polluters. This management body shall involved various representatives but not exclusive from the industries, households, local government, national government, non-government organisations and academe. It shall be multidisciplinary as well. The oversight body thus facilitate better coordination and interaction.

Third, there is a need to establish water quality monitoring stations with multi-stakeholders participation on distinct part of the river system. This can facilitate strategic actions toward addressing inflows and outflows of wastes from industries and other source of pollutions. It also encourages significant participation and transparency among various concerned citizens. Isn’t it IEM is not all about coordination but is also concerned about transparency?

Fourth, there should be a vertical and horizontal integration among various agencies of the government in cooperation with key stakeholders and private sector. This will facilitate the formulation of an integrated plan towards saving the river system by determining specifically who will be in charge and who will undertake particular activities to achieve a solid impact. This will prevent overlapping functions and may encourage strategic use of resources and funding.

And lastly, I think all of the above strategies will not be possible without a strong political support. I mean, the situation in MMORS have been there for quite a decade now. It’s not that we are not doing anything at all but it is not being prioritised. Having a strong political support will create a strong machinery to make things happen, and that is to revive MMORS and bring it to life. Environmental management as I mentioned before in other postings are political by nature. Hence, political considerations will pave the way for a clearer path to address the problem of MMORS. How I wish our politicians can finally realise that development is not just economic or social progress, but must also environmentally sustainable or the integration of triple bottom line. From this aspect, funding and other resources can also be concentrated in cleaning up the whole river systems.

Reviving MMORS is very challenging. It will take decades, if not centuries, to bring it back to life. The most important thing is we now realised our mistakes and take actions and responsibilities to correct it. With strong participation from the people and a stronger tool like IEM, I think that there is still hope. MMORS will be resurrected soon!

There you go mates! Please help us saved our river system. Share us your ideas so that we can improve the process. Thank you very much!