Management

Waste water
in the
Philippines
Group 1
 What is waste
● water?
Wastewater or sewage is the
byproduct of many uses of water.
● Wastewater can categorize into two
categories as
✓ Domestic wastewater – Wastewater
produced by household uses such as
showering, dishwashing, laundry and, of
course, flushing the toilet.

✓ Industrial wastewater - Wastewater

produced by industrial use water for
many purposes including processes,
products, and cleaning or rinsing of parts.

● After the water has been used, it

enters the wastewater stream, and
ended up in the wastewater treatment
plant for treatment or directly flows to
What is the existing situation?

• In the Philippines, only 10% of wastewater

is treated while 58% of the groundwater is
contaminated;
• Only 5% of the total population is
connected to a sewer network. The vast
majority uses flush toilets connected to
septic tanks;
• Since sludge treatment and disposal
facilities are rare, domestic wastewater is
discharged without treatment;
What is the existing situation?

• According to the UNIDO study,

approximately 2,000 cubic meters of
solvent wastes, 22,000 tons of heavy
metals, infectious wastes, biological
sludge, lubricants, and intractable wastes,
as well as 25 million cubic meters of
acid/alkaline liquid wastes are improperly
disposed of annually in Metro Manila alone.
What is the existing situation?

Data from the Environmental Management

Bureau (EMB), Philippines showed that out
of the 127 freshwater bodies being
sampled, 47% percent were found to have
good water quality. However, 40% of those
sampled were found to have only fair water
quality, while 13% showed poor water
quality.
What is the existing situation?

• It is estimated that in 2025, water

availability will be marginal in most major
cities and in 8 of the 19 major river basins
in the country.
• Waterborne diseases remain a severe
public health concern in the country.
• About 4,200 people die each year due to
contaminated drinking water.
Which areas of the country are most
affected?
• Regions with unsatisfactory ratings for their water
quality criteria include the National Capital Region
(NCR) or Metro Manila, Southern Tagalog Region
(Region IV), Central Luzon (Region III), and Central
Visayas (Region VII)
• Ilocos Region (Region I) was found to be one of the
highest contributors to nitrate contamination
Legal framework related to wastewater
treatment in the Philippines
PHILIPPINE CLEAN WATER ACT OF 2004
(Republic Act No. 9275)
To control wastewater discharges, DENR has enforced the Wastewater
Discharge Permitting System
❑ All Owners Or Operators Of Facilities That Discharge Regulated
Effluents Shall Secure Wastewater Discharge Permit (DP)
❑ DP is the legal authorization granted by the DENR to discharge
wastewater into a water body
❑ The DENR Implements Wastewater Charge System (WCS) in all
Management Areas and Regional Industrial Centers through the
Collection of Wastewater Charges/Fees.
Legal framework related to wastewater
treatment in the Philippines
PHILIPPINE CLEAN WATER ACT OF 2004
(Republic Act No. 9275)
To control wastewater discharges, DENR has enforced the Wastewater
Discharge Permitting System
❑ All Owners Or Operators Of Facilities That Discharge Regulated
Effluents Shall Secure Wastewater Discharge Permit (DP)
❑ DP is the legal authorization granted by the DENR to discharge
wastewater into a water body
❑ The DENR Implements Wastewater Charge System (WCS) in all
Management Areas and Regional Industrial Centers through the
Collection of Wastewater Charges/Fees.
 Waste Water
• Treatment
The quality of wastewater does not
meet the standards of DENR for it to be
safely released into a body of water.
Hence, you need a series of treatment
processes which utilizes various
chemicals to ensure that the effluent to
be released meet the environmental
requirements.

• Wastewater treatment is a process

which removes and eliminates
contaminants from wastewater and
converts this into an effluent that can be
returned to the water cycle. Once
returned to the water cycle, the effluent
creates an acceptable impact on the
environment or is reused for various
purposes.
Wastewater
Handling:
Domestic
 Facts and Statistics of Domestic
Wastewater Management in the
• Only 10% of domestic Philippines
wastewater is treated
• Only 5% of the total population is connected to a sewer network.
The vast majority uses flush toilets connected to septic tanks
• 76.8 percent of families in the Philippines have sanitary toilet
facilities (DOH, 2008).
• Less than 10 percent have access to piped sewerage systems. Those
that are not connected to a sewerage network rely on septic tanks,
pit latrines, or practice open defecation.
• In Metro Manila, 43 sewage treatment plants (STPs) and septage
treatment plants (SpTPs) provide service to more than a million
residents or around 10 percent of the region’s entire population.
• An average of 9.4 million kilograms of BOD was removed per year.
The highest pollution load reduction was attained in 2012 with 9.5
million kilograms of BOD removed
 Domestic Wastewater
Sewage Treatment Plant
(STP), Manila, Philippines
Wastewater
Handling:
Industrial
 Issues and challenges for proper
industrial wastewater management
• • Inadequate wastewater treatment facilities, such as
septic tank, impounding tank, are still being used by
commercial and some industrial establishments
• Absence of sewer lines/sewerage facilities in many
areas specially in the Highly Urbanized Cities
• Absence/Lack of Centralized Wastewater Treatment
Facilities to accommodate wastewater from
condominiums, public markets, commercial buildings,
small eateries
Thank
You