{"id":962,"date":"2007-10-12T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2007-10-11T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/master.k8s.p4.greenpeace.org\/philippines\/press\/962\/greenpeace-water-patrol-spotlights-toxics-pollution-in-marilao-river\/"},"modified":"2019-11-06T17:05:19","modified_gmt":"2019-11-06T09:05:19","slug":"greenpeace-water-patrol-spotlights-toxics-pollution-in-marilao-river","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/philippines\/story\/962\/greenpeace-water-patrol-spotlights-toxics-pollution-in-marilao-river\/","title":{"rendered":"Greenpeace \u2018Water Patrol\u2019 spotlights toxics pollution in Marilao River"},"content":{"rendered":"
A team of Greenpeace \u2018Water Patrol\u2019 activists today called attention to the shocking extent of pollution in Marilao River by unfurling a 28-meter banner with the words \u201cStop toxic pollution, protect our water resources\u201d along Marilao Bridge in Bulacan province, 25 kilometers north of Manila. The activists also floated giant rubber fish skeletons along the river to underline the river\u2019s death, as two volunteers in protective suits took water samples from the
\nnotorious body of water to determine its exact toxicity levels.<\/div>\n
\n
\n

\n\"\"<\/a>A Greenpeace volunteer talks to a local resident beside Marilao River in Bulacan 25 kilometers north of Manila. Marilao River has been identified by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) as one of the Philippines\u2019 50 dead rivers due to heavy pollution. A team of Greenpeace \u2018Water Patrol\u2019 activists today called attention to the shocking extent of pollution in Marilao River by unfurling a 28-meter banner with the words \u201cStop toxic pollution, protect our water resources.\u201d The activists also floated giant rubber fish skeletons along the river to underline the river\u2019s death, as two volunteers in protective suits took water samples from the notorious body of water to determine its exact toxicity levels. Greenpeace recently launched \u2018Project Clean Water\u2019 which aims to bring people together toward a common goal of safeguarding our water sources.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

\n\"\"<\/a>A team of Greenpeace \u2018Water Patrol\u2019 activists today called attention to the shocking extent of pollution in Marilao River by unfurling a 28-meter banner with the words \u201cStop toxic pollution, protect our water resources\u201d along Marilao Bridge in Bulacan province, 25 kilometers north of Manila. The activists also floated giant rubber fish skeletons along the river to underline the river\u2019s death, as two volunteers in protective suits took water samples from the notorious body of water to determine its exact toxicity levels. Marilao River has been identified by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) as one of the Philippines\u2019 50 dead rivers due to heavy pollution. Greenpeace recently launched \u2018Project Clean Water\u2019 which aims to bring people together toward a common goal of safeguarding our water sources. (c) Greenpeace\/John Novis<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

\n\"\"<\/a>A team of Greenpeace \u2018Water Patrol\u2019 activists today called attention to the shocking extent of pollution in Marilao River by unfurling a 28-meter banner with the words \u201cStop toxic pollution, protect our water resources\u201d along Marilao Bridge in Bulacan province, 25 kilometers north of Manila. The activists also floated giant rubber fish skeletons along the river to underline the river\u2019s death, as two volunteers in protective suits took water samples from the notorious body of water to determine its exact toxicity levels. Marilao River has been identified by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) as one of the Philippines\u2019 50 dead rivers due to heavy pollution. Greenpeace recently launched \u2018Project Clean Water\u2019 which aims to bring people together toward a common goal of safeguarding our water sources. (c) Greenpeace\/John Novis<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

\n\"\"<\/a>A team of Greenpeace \u2018Water Patrol\u2019 activists today called attention to the shocking extent of pollution in Marilao River by unfurling a 28-meter banner with the words \u201cStop toxic pollution, protect our water resources\u201d along Marilao Bridge in Bulacan province, 25 kilometers north of Manila. The activists also floated giant rubber fish skeletons along the river to underline the river\u2019s death, as two volunteers in protective suits took water samples from the notorious body of water to determine its exact toxicity levels. Marilao River has been identified by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) as one of the Philippines\u2019 50 dead rivers due to heavy pollution. Greenpeace recently launched \u2018Project Clean Water\u2019 which aims to bring people together toward a common goal of safeguarding our water sources. (c) Greenpeace\/John Novis<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cToxics pollution killed Marilao River, and it is now
\nendangering the lives and livelihoods of nearby communities who
\nrely on this resource,\u201d said Greenpeace\u00a0 Toxics Campaigner Beau
\nBaconguis. \u201cWe are putting this river in the spotlight as a classic
\nexample of how unhampered industrial pollution is threatening our
\nfreshwater supply.\u201d<\/p>\n

Marilao River has been identified by the Department of
\nEnvironment and Natural Resources (DENR) as one of the country\u2019s 50
\ndead rivers due to heavy pollution. The river is regularly
\nmonitored by the Environment Monitoring Board (EMB), and, along
\nwith Meycauayan River, has consistently shown excess levels of the
\ndangerous heavy metals chromium, cadmium, and lead. According to
\nthe EMB,\u00a0 Marilao river has also registered zero dissolved oxygen
\nlevels and high levels of organic pollution. This has also been
\nconfirmed by recent tests conducted by Greenpeace on water samples
\ntaken from the river. Last month, a US- based group also listed it
\nas among the 30 dirtiest places in the world due to industrial
\nwaste dumping.<\/p>\n

Industries found along the river\u2019s banks include tanneries,
\ntextiles, recycling of electronics for gold, silver and other
\nprecious metals recovery and refining. Dumpsites, and a large lead
\nsmelting plant,<\/p>\n

Philippine Recyclers Inc. (PRI), are also located directly
\nbeside it. The lead plant in particular was the subject of two
\nGreenpeace reports in 1996 (\u201cLead Overload: Lead Battery Waste
\nTrade and Recycling in the Philippines) and, again, in 2003 (Toxics
\nReloaded: Revisiting the Impacts of Lead Battery Waste Trade and
\nRecycling in the Philippines) for lead contamination. Effluent
\nsamples taken from a discharge canal of the PRI contained lead
\nlevels of 190 ppm or 3,800 times higher than the<\/p>\n

0.05 ppm or mg\/L standard set for lead in effluent from old and
\nexisting industries.<\/p>\n

No effective measures, however, have been undertaken to
\nrehabilitate the river which continues to receive toxic effluents
\nfrom various sources. Although DENR Secretary Lito Atienza had
\nrecently promised to revive Marilao River in two years, the
\ngovernment agency has not identified the sources of pollution, or
\ndisclosed the particulars of scientific tests which the agency may
\nhave conducted in the past as part of its environmental monitoring
\nefforts.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are taking water samples from the river as part of our Water
\nPatrol activities. We believe that communities have a right to know
\nwhat chemicals are lurking in their water and the dangers these may
\npose to their health and well-being. By putting the spotlight on
\nthis polluted river, we hope to catalyze much-needed action to
\nreverse the continuing decline of our water resources,\u201d added
\nBaconguis.<\/p>\n

Greenpeace recently launched \u2018Project Clean Water\u2019 which aims to
\nbring people together toward a common goal of safeguarding our
\nwater sources. Through its \u2018Water Patrol\u2019, in the coming months, be
\nlooking at other freshwater systems threatened by toxics pollution
\nin the coming months.<\/p>\n

For more information:<\/p>\n

Beau Baconguis, Toxics Campaigner, +63 917 871 5257,
\nbeau.baconguis@greenpeace.org<\/a>