The Pasig River in the Philippines was a clear, flowing body of water that served as the center of commerce in Spanish colonial Manila in the 1800s. Stretching 27 kilometers, it connects Laguna Lake to Manila Bay and was the major source of water and livelihood of the many communities along its banks. People washed clothes in the shallower waters and fisher folks' daily catch were always bountiful. The passenger boats that plied the river from the nearby province of Laguna to Manila and back served as the primary means of transportation. The Pasig river's demise was a slow process that began in the 1930s, when fish migration from Laguna Lake decreased, and people stopped bathing and washing activities. By the 1970s, the river stank and turned black. Water quality dropped.
In 1989, the Philippine government began working with international partners to rehabilitate the river. Improvements have been made in the condition of the Pasig River, but it still has along way to go. The Asian Development Bank is working to improve the river alongside government agencies, academics, non-government organizations, and communities and businesses.
The Asian Development Bank aims for an Asia and Pacific free from poverty. Approximately 1.4 billion people in the region are poor and unable to access essential goods, services, assets and opportunities to which every human is entitled. Get involved. Share this video. Learn more and interact with ADB by visiting our subscriber services page or our website at http://www.adb.org.
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Pasig River Environmental Management and Rehabilitation Sector Development Program: https://www.adb.org/projects/30308-013/main
ADB's work in the Philippines: https://www.adb.org/philippines
