The Multi-sectoral Group Profiles the Waste Management Practices of Households along the Easement of
The current water quality status of the Tumaga River shows elevated concentration of fecal coliform, an indicator of the presence of disease-causing microorganisms. This further indicates that the River continuously receives discharges containing human and/or animal fecal wastes and suggest risk of contamination from water-related diseases of people who utilize or come in contact with the water from the River.
The Tumaga River WQMA Governing Board pursuant to Rule 5.4.4 of the implementing rules and regulations of RA 9275 or the Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004 and its governing rules prepared a WQMA action plan that provides focused interventions to address the abovementioned water quality problems in the area. As part of the measures in the Plan to come up with a database on the presence of sanitation facilities in the households within the WQMA, a survey to profile the households along the easement of the Tumaga River was approved by the Multi-sectoral Group (MSG) during its 2nd quarter meeting on May 24, 2018.
The initial activity was conducted on June 11, 13-14, 2018 in barangay Tumaga. The activity aims to profile the households along the easement of the Tumaga River in terms of their waste management practices, particularly on the modes of disposal of wastewater and solid wastes as these will have an impact on the quality of the River.
The survey team was composed of EMB personnel, MSG members from PAMB, SEEP, and Office of the City Mayor (Housing and Land Management Division), and personnel from barangay Tumaga. The team made a courtesy call to Hon. Jacqueline Lim, barangay chair of Tumaga, before proceeding to the field. An opening conference was also conducted to thresh out concerns regarding the survey form and to assign responsibilities to the team members. Equipped with survey questionnaires and GPS equipment, the survey team proceeded to Sitio Presa Mayor, Zone 6, Tumaga to conduct the profiling and continued at Earth and Mercury St., Zone 4, Tumaga during the succeeding days.
The mode of administering the questionnaire was through personal / face-to-face interview. After the household was surveyed, a marker was placed on the household structure bearing the reference number indicated on the survey form. Around 200 households along the easement of the Tumaga River were covered during the initial profiling.
The survey questionnaire includes questions on water consumption of the household, type of sanitation facility, sources of wastewater, and solid waste management practices. The survey team also took photo documents of the sources of wastes in the River such as from sewage canals, solid wastes, and runoff from domestic wastewater.
The survey team also distributed IEC materials on solid waste management to the young members of the households.
