Land over troubled water: the effects of the Cavite Expressway project on the water quality level of the Manila Bay.

Abstract

The Cavite Expressway project or Cavitex is a 14km long access-controlled toll expressway linking Manila to southern province of Cavite. It runs through several towns in the Cavite province but its most notable feature is its coastal road that runs straight through the Manila bay. A road built atop a reclaimed piece of land. Because of this fact, several issues arose from the fisher folks that lived along the bay. The researcher then sought to figure out how Cavitex was affecting the water quality level of the bay and consequently, the fishermen who makes their livelihood there. The study then proceeded to interview 4 fishermen who have been around the bay area for more than 4 decades. Their experiences regarding the construction of the Cavite Expressway project was the key for the researcher to answer the question. What the results has yielded has surprised the researcher as it turns out the Cavite expressway project has greatly improved the lives of the fishermen as it acted as a breakwater during typhoons where there are huge waves that could destroy their homes and boats. But the expressway had also yielded some negative results as its design did not account for the natural flow of water leaving stagnant water inside the expressway, thus polluting the water. The researcher believes that this could be prevented in future reclamation projects if the government had a proper dialogue with its constituents, in this case the fisher folks.