El Nido, Palawan is known for its beautiful white sand shores and crystal clear blue waters, but those waters haven’t been looking as crystal clear as of late.

This morning El Nido beach’s normally clear blue waters turned black after sewage water was pumped into the sea. The photos released by Inquirer Regions captured a stream of wastewater carving through the regularly picturesque shoreline and emptying out into the sea.

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In a video taken by a “worried citizen,” the source of the wastewater appears to be a drainage system that directly empties out into the popular tourist site.

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This news is concerning, to say the least.

Palawan was recently voted the best island in the world for the fourth time by Travel + Leisure Magazine. The criteria for judging was based on a locale’s activities, food, the friendliness of the locals, their natural attractions and the quality of their beaches.

If Palawan is to remain a top destination for tourists around the world and at home, something needs to be done about their waste management systems.

Last year, it was announced that the Department of Tourism (DOT), assisted by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), was supposed to roll out a sustainable tourism program in order to preserve the beauty of the country’s “last ecological frontier.”

According to ADB, their plans included “solutions and financing to address the immediate need for vital urban infrastructure and services, such as solid waste management, drainage and sanitation, and clean drinking water in El Nido and Coron.”

Decisive action needs to be taken if we want to keep our natural resources safe. It’s not just the environment or titles at stake, it’s also the livelihood of locals who depend on tourism for income.

Header image courtesy of Romar Miranda for Inquirer Regions

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