Manila Bay ‘white sand’ beach to reopen on June 12

PHOTO from DENR

MANILA, Philippines — The Manila Bay dolomite beach will be reopened to the public on June 12, coinciding with the country’s Independence Day, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said on Tuesday.

The DENR will allow 1,500 to 3,500 people at a given time inside the 500-meter span of the dolomite beach to ensure that the minimum health protocols are strictly followed.

DENR said that the reopening of the P389 million-worth man-made beach is only for visitation, walking, and sunset viewing, and not yet for swimming because the water quality on the beach is still at 920 MPN/100 ml (most probable number per 100 milliliters) coliform level, as of May 13 — which is nine times more than the standard fecal coliform level of 100 MPN/100 mL, according to Manila Bay Coordinating Office (MBCO).

However, the DENR noted that before the start of the rehabilitation efforts, waters near the Manila Baywalk have registered an average coliform level of 5.75 million MPN/100 mL, based on the MBCO data in 2019.

The dolomite beach was closed in November to make way for its further rehabilitation.

READ: DENR: Dolomite Beach to remain closed to public to finish rehab works

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