Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004 Quiz

Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004 (Republic Act 9275)

• Short Title: Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004
• Policy: Economic growth consistent with water quality protection, preservation, and revival. Framework for sustainable development.
• Focus: Streamlining water pollution prevention and control, developing economic instruments for water protection, integrated water quality frameworks and proper delegation, encouragement of eco-friendly processes, public participation, accountability for project/program adverse environmental impact.

General Provisions

• Short Title: This Act shall be known as the "Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004."
• Declaration of Policy: The State shall pursue a policy of economic growth in a manner consistent with the protection, preservation, and revival of the quality of our fresh, brackish, and marine waters. To achieve this, the framework for sustainable development is to be pursued.
• Policies of the State:
  • Streamline processes for prevention, control, and abatement of water pollution.
  • Promote environmental strategies, appropriate economic instruments, and control mechanisms for water protection.
  • Develop a holistic national water quality management program considering water sources, ecological protection, water supply, public health, and quality of life.
  • Create an integrated water quality management framework with proper delegation and effective coordination.
  • Encourage eco-friendly and energy-efficient commercial/industrial processes and products.
  • Encourage cooperation and self-regulation among citizens and industries to promote effective water management.
  • Develop a comprehensive water pollution prevention management program.
  • Promote public participation in water quality management and monitoring.
  • Create a system of accountability for short- and long-term environmental impacts of projects, programs, or activities.
  • Encourage civil society participation in environmental issues.

Definitions

• Aquifer: An underground layer of water-bearing rock that transmits water for wells and springs.
• Aquatic Life: All organisms in freshwater, brackish, and marine environments.
• Beneficial Use: Any use of the environment conducive to public or private welfare. This includes domestic, municipal, irrigation, power generation, fisheries, livestock raising, and recreational uses.
• Contamination: The introduction of substances not naturally found that make water undesirable or unfit for intended use.
• Department: Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
• Discharge: Spilling, leaking, pumping, pouring, emitting, releasing, or dumping materials into water bodies or land.
• Drinking Water: Water intended for human consumption or food preparation.
• Dumping: Unauthorized or illegal disposal of wastes or toxic materials.
• Effluent: Discharges from sources into water bodies.
• Effluent Standard: Legal limits on effluent's physical, chemical, or biological parameters.
• Environmental Management: All aspects of conservation, regulation, minimization of pollution, waste management, environmental law, policy, education, information, impact studies, research, etc.
• Environmental Management System: The part of the management system related to environmental policy, planning, responsibilities, procedures, and resources.
• Freshwater: Water containing less than 500 parts per million (ppm) dissolved common salt.
• Groundwater: Subsurface water beneath the water table.
• Hazardous Waste: Solid, liquid, gaseous, or semi-solid waste that increases mortality or illness, considering toxicity, persistence, and degradability.
• Industrial Waste: Solid, semi-solid, or liquid waste without commercial value from manufacturing/processing facilities.
• Integrated Water Quality Management Framework: Policy guidelines that integrate all existing water quality management frameworks from different government agencies, covering water quality goals, compliance timelines, pollution control strategies, etc.
• Margin: Landward edge adjacent to a water body.
• National Water Quality Status Report: Report on the location, quality, potential uses, and sources of water pollutants.
• Non-point Source: Pollution from non-identifiable sources like rainwater runoff.
• Point Source: Identifiable pollution source with a specific discharge point to a body of water.
• Pollutant: Any substance that alters water quality, affects human health, causes objectionable odor or temperature changes, or exceeds allowable limits.
• Pollution Control Technology: Devices, processes, or other means that control water pollutants.
• Potentially Infectious Medical Waste: Risks to human health and marine environments.
• Sewage: Wastewater from residences, buildings, institutions, etc., including groundwater, surface water, and storm water.
• Sludge: Solid, semi-solid, or liquid residue from wastewater treatment plants.
• Surface Water: Water exposed to the atmosphere.
• Treatment: Methods or processes to reduce or prevent water pollution from waste and wastewater.
• Toxic Amount: The lowest concentration of toxic pollutants that affects aquatic life or human health.
• Waste: Any material generated from industrial, commercial, mining, agricultural, or household activities.
• Wastewater: Waste in liquid form containing pollutants.
• Water Body: All bodies of freshwater (aquifers, groundwater, etc.), brackish water, and saltwater (springs, creeks, streams, rivers, etc.).
• Water Quality: Physical, chemical, biological, bacteriological, or radiological characteristics that determine the acceptability of water.
• Water Quality Guidelines: Levels or numerical values for water constituents for classification of water resources, excluding direct enforcement measures.

Test your knowledge on the Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004 and its provisions. This quiz covers the key policies aimed at achieving sustainable economic growth while protecting water quality. Understand the framework developed to prevent and control water pollution in the Philippines.