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Background & Objectives

Background

Water pollution is one of the major concerns in the Philippines most especially in rural areas where proper healthcare, sanitation, and water purification are often expensive, inaccessible, or even unavailable. The province of Sultan Kudarat is an underdeveloped province located in the southern part of Mindanao Island where armed conflict is a daily occurrence. Around 850,000 people call this province home.

Figure 1. Location of the Sultan Kudarat Province in the Philippine Archipelago [1]

Lead and cadmium are the two most common heavy metals used in different industries and in our daily activities. These metals are toxic most especially to human beings, plants, and animals even in small quantities. Lead, commonly used in paints, oil industries, and batteries, can accumulate in the body and can be very toxic particularly to young children [1]. This metal affects the nervous system and can easily cause death. On the other hand, cadmium is usually used in batteries and in many metal applications like soldering. Exposure to this metal can cause serious damage to the bones, lungs, and kidneys which can eventually cause death [2]. These two metals are also commonly found in plastics, tetra packs, and other packagings.

There is great concern on the use of these heavy metals. Strict regulations are imposed to prevent exposure to living beings through air and water contaminations in rivers and seas. The potential harm is greater when contaminations affect not only humans but also other organisms such as animals, plants, and different living organisms thriving in water ecosystems.

Acknowledgements: This project would not be possible without the help of the professors and staff of Sultan Kudarat State University, the local government of Sultan Kudarat, and the residents of Bagumbayan, Esperanza, Isulan, Kalamansig, Lebak, and Tacurong. Special thanks are also extended to Atty. Raul Villanueva, president of the Philsaga Mining Corporation for the funding.

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Methods & Approach

Allah and Kapingkong rivers and Kalamansig and Lebak seas are the focus of the research because these water bodies are strategically located in the most well-developed and most populated municipalities with significant economic importance to the province spanning the capital of the province, Isulan, the lone component city, Tacurong and huge municipalities of Bagumbayan, Esperanza, Lebak, and Kalamansig [4][5].

Table 1. Characterization of the different municipalities and city involved in the research

Table 1 shows that the municipalities and the city covered by the bodies of water studied are first class and mostly developed, which signifies that the natural resources in these areas are more prone to deterioration. Meanwhile, the major industries are also listed to compare the industrial activities and their harmful effects to the quality of water surrounding the area. It can be seen that most of the municipalities are engaged in agriculture which uses and heavily relies on fresh water bodies as primary water source. In addition, these agricultural activities use different kinds of fertilizers and pesticides which are dangerous to human health and the environment. There are also well-developed areas with environmentally harmful activities such as mining, logging, and health and retail services which produce significant amount of toxic wastes that could contribute to cadmium, lead, and other metal concentrations on the environment.

Fig 2. Population of the municipalities and city in the province of Sultan Kudarat [6]

Figure 2 shows that the areas concerned have considerably high population and high density of people considering only the inhabited parts of the municipalities. Almost 350,000 people or more than 1/3 of the total population of the province are directly affected by the research and are dependent on these water sources for most of their daily activities. More often than not, people in these areas tend to dispose their garbage in the rivers and seas and make these water sources a drainage of industrial wastes. In addition, according to the Department of Environmental and Natural Resources, these areas are also a hot spot for a number of flora and fauna species. Figure 3 shows the location of the bodies of water studied in the province.

Figure 3. Location of the bodies of water studied in the province

Instrumental Analysis

The research used an experimental design in determining the amount of heavy metals in the four bodies of water concerned by obtaining appropriate amount of sample using proper sampling techniques replicated three times. Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS) was used to measure the amount of metals in the samples. Vernier turbidity sensor and conventional pH meters were used to measure turbidity and pH respectively.

Interview and Survey Method

A thorough historical and archiving research supplemented by surveys and interviews were conducted with government officials and residents living around the water bodies to gather data of health and biodiversity problems encountered. The results were related to the instrumental analysis and current industrial operations and other disturbances in the area.

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority regarding population, health, and good governance were also used as basis of the analyses made in this research.

Analysis

Careful correlation of the results gathered from the instrumental analysis to available data from government agencies, observations, surveys and interviews were done to come up with conclusions and recommendations.

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Highlights & Results

Highlights

1. The province of Sultan Kudarat heavily relies on natural water sources such as rivers and seas for food, water, agriculture, irrigation, and household activities.

2. There is no current research on and assessment of the potential risks and condition of these water sources in the province.

3. The province needs to revise regulations and create relevant policies based on the results of the research regarding water conservation and environmental protection.

Figures 4 and 5 show the current conditions of the Allah and Kapingkong Rivers.

Figure 4. Current condition of the Allah River

Figure 5. Current condition of the Kapingkong River

Results

1. Instrumental Analysis

Instrumental analyses performed to qualitatively determine the levels of toxic heavy metals cadmium and lead (ppm), pH, and turbidity of the samples obtained. Table 2 shows the turbidity and pH of the different water bodies while table 3 shows the levels of cadmium and lead in ppm.

Table 2. pH and Turbidity of the water bodies

Table 2 shows the turbidity and pH of the two rivers and two seas concerned in this research. The acceptable pH standard ranges for rivers and seas, which tells the acidity of the water bodies, are 6.5-8.5 and 7.5-8.5 respectively [7]. It shows that the two rivers went below the safety limit while the two seawater were on the lower boundary safe limit. An acidic river is very dangerous especially to plants and animals that cannot withstand and adapt to an acidic environment. Morover, an acidic water can leach out other metals, which can cause other detrimental effects.

Turbidity is the measure of the clearness of a liquid and is usually associated to the total suspended solids. A high turbidity means that there are a lot of suspended solids associated in the liquid that can hinder the light from passing through. This can be harmful to life forms beneath the water bodies. Results show that the two rivers are extremely turbid while the two seawater aremoderately clear [8].

Table 3. Levels of cadmium and lead in the water bodies

Results show that the two heavy metals are present in all four water bodies in varying concentrations. All fresh water and one seawater went above the allowed safety limit of 0.005 ppm and projected blood safety level of 10 ug/dL for lead. On the other hand, all fresh water samples and one seawater exceeded the allowed safety limit of 0.005 ppm for cadmium but had an acceptable projected blood level.

2. Survey and Interview

This section presents the results obtained from the surveys and interviews of the residents living around the water bodies and of the government officials of the municipalities, and barangays that cover the areas of the water bodies concerned. Both quantitative and qualitative assessments were used to evaluate the current and past conditions of the water bodies in almost 40 years and rated from 1 to 10, where 10 is the highest and 6 as acceptable with a well-constructed rubric shown in figure 6. Figure 7 shows the average number of documented flora and fauna thriving in the rivers (there were no available data for the seas due to the more complex ecosystem).

Figure 6. Average conditions of the rivers and seas over the years

Figure 6 shows that the two rivers are in severe condition averaging around 3 out of 10 when rated by the residents and government officials on its usability, current condition, appearance, usefulness, and health impacts. On the other hand, the seawaters were rated relatively high and passed the mentioned criteria. It can also be seen that there is a dramatic decrease on the ratings from 2005 to 2010 particularly on the rivers. This was the period when the municipalities of Esperanza, Isulan, and Tacurong entered fast industrialization and modernisation where agricultural and natural lands were converted to plantations, hospitals, huge buildings, markets, retail mass, etc.

Figure 7. Number of Flora and Fauna Species Thriving on the two Rivers over the years

According to figure 7, there is continuous decrease on the documented number of flora and fauna species thriving in the two rivers over the years. This can be attributed to the natural disturbances such as erosion and flood and to the quality of the water in general. An acidic pH is harmful to most plants and animals as well as a very turbid water which blocks oxygen and sunlight from passing through. Furthermore, heavy metals can contribute to extinction of species as heavy metals are toxic to most living organisms. This contributes to lowering of the pH level and degrading quality of water in general.

3. Government Performance Analysis

Government Administration: In the Philippines, the province of Sultan Kudarat has one of the highest poverty incidence rates with 48% of its families living below $2,000 annually [9]. Moreover, the province ranks 68 out of 79 provinces on the good governance index, which measures the performance of the government in terms of economic governance, political governance, and administrative governance [10]. Sultan Kudarat also ranks 62/79 on the ranking for access to clean water category [11].

Law and Garbage Collection: Currently, there are several presidential decrees and laws that mandate the protection and preservation of natural sources such as rivers, and seas. However, there has been few to none cases where a person or a company had been fined or subjected to trial due to contaminating the aforementioned water bodies where around 50 tons of garbage are disposed by the province in the natural water sources every day. In fact, 88.46% of the total garbage of the province remains to be uncollected [12]. Due to this, these garbages are usually burned, buried or thrown in the water bodies by residents as means of disposal.

Health: The number of cases of diarrheas, fever, intestinal parasites, nausea, weakening, and anemia in the communities near the bodies of water is higher compared to those who are not. These illnesses can be related to the quality of water bodies, which are highly utilised by the people in their daily activities and due to long term exposure. On the other hand, according to the 2013 report of the Department of Health, the percentage of households with access to safe water is below the national standards as well as the percentage of households with sanitary toilet facilities.

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Conclusions

The research was conducted to correlate the different factors affecting the quality of waters from major fresh and sea water bodies in the province of Sultan Kudarat. Analytical and context-based analyses were done to properly assess the thematic correlation of these factors on the quality of life of people and current government policies and regulations protecting these important areas.

Based on the results collected and analyses made, the following conclusions are drawn:

1. Cadmium and lead are present in four water bodies and exceeded the safety limit and projected blood level limit in two rivers and one sea.

2. The bodies of water particularly the rivers are not safe for humans and other living organisms.

3. The bodies of water are experiencing continuous exponential deterioration over the years due to the neglect of people and of the government supposed to protect these water bodies.

4. There is a disruption in the food chain as evident in the decline of documented flora and fauna species over the years.

5. There is a direct correlation between the increase of human population and industrial activities and decrease on the quality of water on the water bodies studied.

Based on the conclusions made, the three biggest problems which caused the decline of the quality of bodies of water studied are listed on figure 8.

Fig. 8. Three problems to be addressed immediately in able to preserve the water bodies

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Assessments & Recommendations

Assessments

Current Condition: The current condition of the two rivers are in severe state, which means that implementation of more strict laws in preserving these areas is of outmost concern. Moreover, rehabilitation efforts should be done to save the rivers from further deterioration. On the other hand, the two seas are in good condition but due to industrial activities in the area, it would not take long until the condition of these seawaters become severe. Thus, it needs equal attention to be protected and regenerated back to a healthy state.

Quality of Water: Only cadmium and lead levels were measured but there are indicators that other metals such as zinc, cobalt, etc. are also present in these water sources. Aside from heavy metals, pathogens and bacteria are also present in large quantities in the bodies of water which may be harmful to residents living in these areas.

Residents: Most of the residents in the province are impoverished and more often than not, they dispose their organic and inorganic wastes in water bodies for convenience and due to the inability to pay for garbage collection. They also neglect to protect these areas and fail to realise the importance of preserving these water bodies for the future. The water sources are also over-exploited due to the rapid growth rate in these areas.

Industries: In the recent years, there had been a proliferation of different industries such as large-scale agriculture, mining, and retail and health services contributing to the overall production of wastes in the province. Most, if not all, of these wastes end up in different water bodies and contaminate the water with harmful chemicals and pathogens.

Government: There has been different laws and regulations that aim to protect water sources and quality of water in the country but there has been few, which specifiy the provisions on protecting rivers and seas from over exploitation and garbage dumping. Although the laws are present, there has been neglect from the government in enforcing these laws and punishing violators. People are not informed about these laws and reinforcement is obviously weak, if not non-existent. Education in the province does not put an emphasis on the importance of these water sources and the protection these areas need for sustainability and for future generations.

Recommendations

Policy Making Approach

Policies: Policies geared towards protecting water bodies specifically rivers, seas, and lakes and the quality of natural and ground waters should be passed. Prohibition on the use of water bodies can also be included until the concerned water body has recovered from severe condition. Proper implementation and enforcement of these policies should also be done through creation of restricted areas, stricter fines, and community service for people or businesses proven to have violated these laws. These policies could include:

No dumping of any kind of wastes such as residential, sanitary, and industrial in water bodies.
Chemicals used in agriculture and other industrial activities are prohibited within a certain radius from a body of water.
Dynamite fishing and other hazardous fishing practices are strictly prohibited
Classify every water body as either severe or useful. Severe water bodies should become a prohibited and protected area.
A separate team or agency under the Department of Environmental and Natural Resources should be formed specifically for monitoring these water bodies on a regular basis.
Environmental tax could be imposed on industries based on their carbon footprint and waste generation. Additional taxes should be imposed on industries using harmful chemicals such as lead, cadmium, etc.
Environmental management and protection should be given importance in schools as early as in the pre-school level to the university level.

Short Term: Immediate action most especially on waste collection and control should be performed. Exploitation of water sources should also be stopped until the water body has fully recovered.

Long Term: Long-term plan includes crafting laws in order to safeguard water bodies and its resources, educating every person about the importance of these water bodies, creating a structured approach to maintain the quality of water, conducting further research on other variables having adverse effect on water, and balancing and regulating the industries which might be harmful to the environment. Treatment facilities can also be made to ensure the high quality and safety of waters. Sustainable growth should be ensured in the province where environment and industrialisation works hand in hand for the betterment of the whole province and the country. This research is just an initial step in protecting these water bodies. However, there are a lot of other factors that should be considered such as economics, government enforcement, etc. that were not tackled in depth in this research. Although this is just an initial report, this could become a basis of future analyses which could be done to assess the quality of water not only in the province but also in nearby provinces and in the whole country. The access to water of safe quality is a right of every person. However, every person also has a responsibility to safeguard and preserve these resources for future generations.

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