PEMSEA Participates in Philippine Water Week

Manila, Philippines — The Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) spearheaded the Philippine Water Week (24-28 March), as part of the local observance of the World Water Day. PEMSEA participated in the five-day event marked by water resource-related activities.A three-day water technology exhibition and product exposition at the Protected Area and Wildlife Visitors' Center in Quezon City, Philippines, kicked off the celebration, along with a press briefing on the launching of the roadmap on water and sanitation. PEMSEA, together with the Manila Bay Environmental Management Project (MBEMP), set up an exhibit booth where various PEMSEA publications and brochures were distributed. The National River Forum, held on 26 March, highlighted the week-long celebration as a venue for interactive discussion to help narrow gaps and solve pervasive problems of declining water quality. Participants from various government agencies as well as nongovernmental organizations and the private sector presented papers on the effects of global warming in the country as well as other topics that included access to water, new technologies on wastewater treatment, sanitation and health, and other related topics. Paper presenters were given copies of the Manila Bay Area Environmental Atlas, a joint output of DENR and PEMSEA.