Photos of a more pleasant, less toxic-looking Manila Bay coastline along Roxas Boulevard have been circulating online, as netizens applauded the result of a massive weekend cleanup drive.
Participants during Sunday’s activity collected tons of garbage in the area, consequently improving the surroundings.
The rehabilitation of the bay was set after President Rodrigo Duterte warned businesses in the vicinity to comply with environment regulations or face closure.
Results of a water sampling showed that the bay’s average fecal coliform level was at 330 million most probable number (mpn), 3.3 million times above the standard 100 mpn that is ideal for swimming.
The DENR said about 40,000 families living near the bay were major contributors to pollution.