Template:Sewer solution

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Solution to the Sewer System and Salvation of the Water Systems of the Philippines

There is a law in the Philippines that protect the river banks
DENR Administrative Order No. 97-05: In the interest of the service and in order to promote ecological balance and protection of the environment, the provisions of R.A. No. 1273, P.D. No. 705 (as amended ) and P.D. No. 1067 shall be strictly implemented.

The Solution to the problem:

Follow government Building Codes:
- Apartments, condominiums, commercial buildings, subdivisions must have a septic system with leach lines. If leach lines are not possible then the septic must be drained to a common area for processing. The lines must never be drained into the sewer system of the city, unless the city has a sewer rehabilitation pond already in operation.
- The contractors or developers must come up with a plan that addresses the problem of sewer and septic before the city/municipality can grant him/her the permit.
- If the development is in an area where the city/municipality does not have a sewer system in line, the developers must come up with a plan that will include the creation of a receiving pond to treat the sewer and septic drainage.
Install Gutter or drainage system for rivers: Most rivers in urban areas already have their river banks cemented (riprap) to protect the buildings that are built next to it. Most of these buildings if not all have their sewer systems drain right into the river. This is already an accepted practice in the Philippines. But there is a cure for this.
1. Install culverts within the "riprap" of the riverbanks or beside it. The culverts will be the main gutter system of the community. The community's sewer will flow into this gutter system which will empty out down river into a designated pond for treatment and then later released back to the sea or used for irrigation.
2. Install an open gutter alongside the "riprap". The sewer of the community will be drained into this open gutter alongside the riprap and since it follows the flowing level of the river the sewage will flow very easily.
Actually this open gutter system will work much better since it will be easier to maintain and cost less to build.

The picture below is just an example:

For those with engineering ingenuity or engineering, architectural or construction background; you can design this gutter system that goes side by side with the riprap and send it to franklin_maletsky@yahoo.com. I will then forward your designs to the Secretary of the DENR with a cover letter.
For those who do not have the urge to write. Please talk to your community leaders. Plant this idea of the "gutter system inclusive with the riverbank protection system" in the heads of your community leaders. Once the idea gets around, it will be just a matter of time before someone will take the idea and have it materialized.
Many communities in the Philippines already have a built in gutter system and most of them drain into the nearby river, lake or sea. For those that drain their gutters into the rivers, option #2 will be a quick solution.
The task to build this new system will start from the main river source and build it slowly down river. In order for this system to start, the barangay leaders must meet and approve this project at the barangay level. The approval must be first, then the funding will come. The barangay must pass a resolution to have such a project. The money may not come immediately from the top level authorities but it will in the future. The money will never come if the project initiative is not approved first at the barangay level.
For those barangays whose rivers are already too polluted, it is not too late. Actually it is never too late. For those barangays whose rivers are still pristine and clean, keep it that way. If your leaders do not take the precaution to protect your rivers, it will be just a matter of time when your rivers will also be polluted.
Start this campaign with the youth. Contact your Barangay Chairman. From there your Chairman can contact the Federation President. This way your municipality/city will be aware of your endeavor. Then all the barangays in the municipality/city can follow your quest.
To whoever is reading this, approach your barangay leaders and talk to them about this project. The "naysayers" will always tell you that the City or Municipality must first look into this situation. Do not depend on the city/municipality planners to act for your barangay's behalf. The initiative must first come from the barangay level. You must create the NEED. Once the NEED is there, the big-wigs government officials will start to listen, then funding will come.
You can write a letter to DENR Secretary Ramon J.P. Paje with a copy to the local DENR director in your region or province. You can request that all funding for the construction of riverbank protection or "riprap" be inclusive with the gutter system to drain the sewer of the community. This gutter system will stop the sewer of the community from flowing into river. If the DENR funds for this riverbank constructions with the "condition" that the gutter system be inclusive, the resurrection of our dead rivers is coming and it will also guarantee the cleanliness of the rivers that are still unpolluted.
Write a letter to Secretary of the DENR and recommend the above solutions.
- Secretary Ramon J. P. Paje
- Department of Environment and Natural Resources
- Visayas Avenue, Diliman, 1100 Quezon City, Philippines
- +63-2-929-6626
- osec@denr.gov.ph

Here are two examples as why you should write: No mention of a sewer system in any of the funding.

CEBU CITY, March 15, 2012 (PIA) --- More than P140-M funds were allocated to nine local government units (LGUs) in Central Visayas under the Integrated Coastal Resources Management Project (ICRMP) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).>>Read On
Lanao del Sur, April 05, 2012 (PIA) --- The governor of Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao has called on his constituents to cooperate and support the region's efforts in protecting the environment. As government's support to the ARMM, the National Economic Development Authority Board has approved the P7-billion Integrated Natural Resources and Environmental Management project of the DENR, which includes the rehabilitation and greening of the Lake Lanao watershed.>>Read On

If you have any comments or suggestions please contact the founder of zamboanga.com
Franklin H. Maletsky and his email is: franklin_maletsky@yahoo.com

The Solution is so simple: Yet the DENR continues to ignore it

Rehabilitate the Pasig River and the Laguna de Bay lake

There are so many articles written about the rehabilitation of the Pasig River. Many attempts are made to clean the pasig river. The Philippine government talks the talk but can't walk the walk even with the help from international funds to clean the river.

Believe it or not the Philippine government created a "commission" called the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission (PRRC). This commission was created in 1999 by virtue of Executive Order No. 54, as amended by executive Order No. 65. Fourteen (14) years later not much has been done. The organization does not have a whole lot of success stories to showcase the things that they have accomplished.

Here is a "success" story that the PRRC has in their website. This is great and hopefully there will be more, but they did not address the sewer system problem. The sewer continues to drain into the pasig river and continues to kill it.

The pasig river continues to get more and more polluted as the population of the communities nearby increases.

The pollution of the pasig river starts at the source. The source of the pasig river is Laguna de Bay, the biggest lake in the island of Luzon. Laguna de Bay is also the most polluted lake in Luzon.

Let us remember one thing and always bear this in mind: "We pollute". People generate pollution. If we start with that concept we are going to find the solution. In our current society, the people are completely dependent on the structure of the government. Just take these two instances: garbage and sewer. If the government does not provide the weekly garbage pick up and proper drainage of sewer, where in the world will the poor living along the pasig river drain their sewer and throw their garbage? This river is 27 kilometers long and every bit of it on either side of the river is populated.

I suggested the river gutter system to many denr officials and also to the PRRC back in 2012 but to this date there has been no reply from them.

As of 2016 the Pasig river continues to be the #1 sewer system of the Philippines.

Participate in this Facebook discussion regarding the rehabilitation of the Pasig river.

Some of the longest rivers in the Philippines

Cagayan River (also Rio Grande Cagayan)
Location : Cagayan Valley

Length : 505 km
Rio Grande de Mindanao (also Mindanao River)
Location : Southern Mindanao

Length : 373 km
Agusan River
Location : Eastern Mindanao

Length : 350 km
Pulangi River
Location : Bukidnon

Length : 320 km
Pampanga River
Location : Central Luzon

Length : 260 km
Agno River
Location : Pangasinan

Length : 206 km
Abra River
Location : Benguet

Length : 178 km
Abulog River
Location : Kalinga

Length : 175 km
Chico River
Location : Kalinga

Length : 174.67 km
Davao River
Location : Mindanao, Davao

Length : 160 km

Photos of River Cleanups

Pateros River Cleanup, Sto. Rosario-Kanluran, Pateros City Feb 2015