NEWSFLASH

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LAGUNA DE BAY BIOLOGICALLY DEAD

Makati City, Oct. 11, 1997 - Laguna de Bay has reached the end of the line, says a University of the Philippines professor who has conducted extensive studies and written books on the lake.

"It's a cesspool, a very, very big septic tank," declared Dr. Carlito Barril at the First National Philippine Pollution Prevention Roundtable, attended by 100 representatives of industries, NGOs and concerned citizens from around the lake area.

Barril said the lake is so dark, clarity is reduced to 10 centimeters. He blamed population, deforestation and industrialization for the widespread degradation of the country's water resources.

The 922-square-kilometer Laguna de Bay is surrounded by seven cities and four provinces, with 3,000 industrial entities dumping effluent into the lake.

Thirty percent of the waste in the water comes from industries, another 30 percent from households and 40 percent from agricultural sources. Most of the housing projects around the lake were built without domestic sewerage systems.

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