Marilao River

Polluted River of Marilao, Bulacan, Philippines

Polluted River of Marilao, Bulacan, Philippines.

This river runs deep but I bet you a chicken can
walk across this river without sinking!
The Marilao in Bulacan is among four iconic rivers
whose polluted conditions are spotlighted in Hidden
Consequences, a new report published today by
Greenpeace. The report calls for urgent action to
protect the livelihoods of the people and wildlife that
depend on these waterways and the life-sustaining
resources that they provide, by demanding that
policy-makers commit to a Toxic-Free Future.

Marilao River is one of spotlight case studies

in new Greenpeace report on Hidden Costs
of Toxic Water Pollution
Press release - May 26, 2011

The Marilao in Bulacan is among four iconic rivers whose polluted conditions are spotlighted in Hidden
Consequences, a new report published today by Greenpeace. The report calls for urgent action to protect
the livelihoods of the people and wildlife that depend on these waterways and the life-sustaining
resources that they provide, by demanding that policy-makers commit to a Toxic-Free Future.

Through case studies from various countries, the report shows how toxic industrial effluents have dire impacts on
freshwater bodies, and people. But because these chemicals are hidden or invisible, efforts to control them once they
have been discharged have not been effective. Greenpeace is calling on the Philippine government to learn from the
lessons of developed countries and immediately institute policies to protect the countrys precious freshwater
resources from industrial pollution.
This report debunks the short-sighted and negative mentality that pollution is the price to pay for progress.
Experiences from everywhere around the world show that industrial water pollution have translated to huge
economic, human and environmental costs. Greenpeace aims to show that there is a better way: an effective
pollution prevention policy is the win-win solution, said Beau Baconguis, Toxics Campaigner of Greenpeace Southeast
Asia.
Hidden Consequences draws attention to the financial, social and environmental costs of industrial water pollution,
showcasing the problems of long-term contamination from hazardous chemicals across several locations in the Global
North (2), including the Hudson River, the Dutch Delta, the Laborec River and the Swiss Toxic Dumps (3).

The report illustrates how rivers in the Global South: the Yangtze in China, the Chao Phraya in Thailand, the Neva in
Russia and the Marilao in the Philippines, dotted by numerous factories and industrial buildings along the length of its
banks, are now facing the same situation. The said rivers supply drinking, domestic and agriculture water to the
populations of large rural areas, as well as to the inhabitants of big cities such as Shanghai, Bangkok and
St.Petersburg.
The impacts of water pollution on human health, the environment and local economies are rarely considered or
compensated, not just because they are hard to calculate, but because of the difficulty in tracking down the polluters
and holding them responsible for the cost of cleaning up the pollution. Instead, it is the taxpayer who too often ends
up paying the bill, said Baconguis.
Our government has a choice. Should they expose their citizens and the environment to hazardous toxic pollution,
and condemn future generations to pay for the management of contaminated sediments, whose full and final costs are
incalculable? Or should they instead commit to a Toxic-Free Future, and take precautionary action to support truly
sustainable innovation, and progressively eliminate the use and release of hazardous substances down to zero
discharge? added Baconguis.
Greenpeace is calling on governments and corporations to commit to a Toxic-Free Future by taking urgent,
precautionary and transparent action to eliminate the use and releases of all hazardous substances.
Preventive measures of water pollution are urgently needed in the Philippines. The government should:
- set up a proper pollutant disclosure system through which the public could easily access a wide range of pollution
data;
- immediately establish a list of hazardous chemicals for priority elimination action; and
- create an action plan with clear timelines to reduce, restrict and ultimately zero the discharges of toxic chemicals.

8. Marilao River, Philippines.

The Marilao River flows through the Bulacan Province Philippines and empties in Manila
Bay. The main sources for polluting this river are tanneries, textile factories, piggeries,
gold refineries and municipal dumps. The river is the main source of drinking and
irrigation for the people but despite this fact, the pollution continues. There are high
levels of toxic chemicals and heavy metals present in the water that are actually
worrisome, as they pose a major health hazard. Whenever the river floods, the garbage
dumped in this river also comes out with water polluting the land.