Water

Pilot and Demonstration Activities
Reducing Mercury and Heavy Metals Contamination in Meycauayan River System

Known as the seat of the Philippines’ jewelry industry, Meycauayan Municipality, lying on plains 19 kilometers north of Manila in the province of Bulacan, is on the verge of mercury and heavy metal toxicity. On the upstream of its river system rests industries that use toxic heavy metals. Water flows along 17 kilometers of a main river and about 10 kilometers of tributaries before draining into the Manila Bay.

These businesses—artisanal gold and precious metal refiners—are the main sources of pollution. They do not have waste treatment facilities and the emissions, solid and liquid wastes from the refining process, find their way into the atmosphere, river system, and eventually to thousands of hectares of fishponds downstream and urban communities that depend highly on groundwater sources. Meycauayan has about 114 registered jewelers and about 2,000 more small and unregistered manufacturers with very little investments in modern tools and equipment. A large percentage of the population derives their livelihood from this sector.

But while inter-agency clean-up projects of the Meycauayan river system, including the tributaries in the nearby towns of Marilao and Obando, have begun, plans to address the waters’ high toxicity level have still to materialize.

This PDA will demonstrate appropriate technologies for reducing mercury and heavy metal contamination in the Meycauayan river system.

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This PDA will

• pilot test the use of locally-fabricated cost-effective technologies to reduce mercury and other heavy metals from emissions, and liquid and solid wastes, and
• disseminate the use of these technologies

Specifically, the PDA will:

• Collect baseline data to determine extent of mercury and other heavy metal pollution, including the assessment gold and precious metals refining practices plus community and occupational health risks and socio-economic factors related to gold refining in the municipality of Meycauayan, Bulacan
• Raise awareness among residents directly and indirectly affected by the heavy metal pollution from the artisanal gold and precious metals refining industry
• Test locally developed cost-effective technologies to reduce and possibly recover mercury and other heavy metals from emissions and liquid and solid wastes, and disseminate the use of said technologies
• Support DENR and local governments in developing innovative policy instruments to encourage support and compliance to environmental laws, specifically targeting industries/sectors using mercury and other toxic heavy metals
• Strengthen existing stakeholder group involved in addressing the pollution problem caused by the artisanal gold and precious metals refining industry
• Explore the possibility of transforming the stakeholder group into a Water Quality Management Board provided for in the Philippines’ Clean Water Act

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• Proposal (January 2008) [PDF]