Kate Louise Febre Jacinto Campus

Grade 9

Pollution
Pollution is the introduction of harmful materials to our environment. There are
different types of pollution: air pollution, water pollution, soil pollution, noise pollution,
radioactive pollution, thermal pollution, and many more. It is a major problem in the
world and we neglected how worse this issue is. Our Earth provides us resources that
we use for our daily lives and for us to live but we are so self-centred that we overuse it
and ignored what the future holds if we continue to pollute our planet.
Let us take a look at our country. 58% of groundwater in the Philippines has been
contaminated and Pasig River is one of the world’s most polluted rivers according to
Wikipedia. Manila Bay has deteriorated water quality, overexploitation of resources, and
has lost its biodiversity. Manila also suffers from air pollution because of burning of
fossil fuels in jeeps, cars, trains, and airplanes. Philippines is considered as the third
biggest ocean polluter of plastic and makes about 163 million plastic sachets daily
according to Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives. Plastics have 450 years before
it will biodegrade and if the more the plastic we produce, the bigger the pollution is.
We see, pollution is really rampant in our country and affects our daily lives. It
greatly concerned our health, not only ours but also the animals. We would have severe
health diseases. Pollution is our own doing. If all of the resources will be contaminated,
then how are we able to live? Environmental pollution damages the environment and
leads to other ecological issues. Environmental pollution is widespread across the
nation not only in Manila, but also in other parts of the Philippines.
Though pollution is rampant, we should do our part as individuals to stop it. The
6-month rehabilitation of Boracay in Aklan beach became a big success in the marine
life as well as its development of the place. Also, the government also planned to do the
same cleanup with Manila Bay for it to return to its original state. If the administration did
not make a move to protect our environment and so as we, the places we’d love to go
to, will become more and more corrupted. We lack discipline to do our part as a person.
Natural resources are limited but now are becoming less and less because of pollution.
As a student, we should do our parts as well. It may be in our school, home, or
barangay. For example, joining coastal cleanup drives, planting trees, reduce, reuse,
and recycle. In addition, no littering, saving energy, conserving and preserving natural
resources, report illegal dumping, use environmentally safe products, dispose trash
properly, and zero waste management.
We should also make an impact to our fellow students in the school to do the
things to reduce and prevent pollution, by asking the authority in the school to
implement rules. Being part of this world means we all have responsibility to take care
of the Earth. For an anonymous writer said, “Be part of the solution, not part of the
pollution.”
Kate Louise Febre Jacinto Campus
Grade 9