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Unraveling Sanitation and Sewerage Concerns in a Developing Country Metropolis: The Case of Metro Manila, Philippines
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In Metro Manila, the foremost urban area in the Philippines, wastewater from residential dwellings accounts for about 60% of the pollution load in rivers and other water bodies. This is due to inadequate domestic wastewater treatment facilities. Up to the present, only about 8% of households are connected to sewer lines. The majority make use of individually constructed septic tanks, many of which are substandard and are not properly maintained or regularly desludged of septage. Those in informal settlement areas dispose of their wastewater directly to drainage canals, creeks or rivers. Programs to expand sewerage coverage are constrained by huge financial requirements and lack of popular support. Education and information campaigns to raise awareness and understanding of the issues related to wastewater-induced pollution of water bodies and health problems are necessary to gain people's cooperation and support for domestic wastewater treatment programs.
Keywords: Philippines; Domestic wastewater, Sanitation and sewerage programs; Water pollution; Waterborne diseases.
1. Introduction
Used water or wastewater from family dwellings, commercial and industrial establishments eventually winds up in creeks, rivers and the aquifer. If not adequately treated, wastewater will pollute these water bodies which provide water supply, livelihood and recreation. Further, untreated wastewater causes diseases such as diarrhea, cholera, typhoid, dysentery, and hepatitis (WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme 2000 and 2012; Petri et al 2000; Thielman and Guerrant 1996; Bern et al 1992). A lack of sanitary sewerage systems is also associated with gastric cancer and peptic ulcer disease (Travis et al 2010).
Cairncross (2003) noted that more than a third of the world's population did not have access to adequate excreta disposal facilities, and of these unserved populations 80% were in fast growing Asian economies. He also noted that even in large Asian cities less than half of the households with excreta disposal facilities such as...