By Ana Rufa Padua
Sewage dumping and human waste along Spratly Island Group were detected by Simularity, an AI-based satellite image analysis firm, during a forum on Monday, July 12— this was also the fifth year anniversary of when the Hague ruling declared that there was no legal basis for China to claim resources within the “nine-dash line.”
Accumulation of human waste, sewage, and wastewater over the last five years was shown through satellite, and this collection has caused algae to grow in a cluster of reefs in the Spratlys region, where hundreds of Chinese fishing ships have anchored in groups.
Based on the images by Simularity, overgrowth of algae has been observed in the following reefs: Johnson South Reef, Hughes Reef, Lansdowne Reef, Ross Reef, and Collins Reef.
Furthermore, satellite images taken by the European Space Agency also showed that wastewater was being discharged in the Spratly and Paracel Islands.
According to Liz Derr, co-founder and CEO of Simularity, the sewage runoff “is so intense you can see it from space.”
Derr also mentioned that the waste could threaten the food supply provided by the coral reefs and cause environmental damage that could take decades to reverse.
“Human activity in the Spratlys is damaging the coral reefs that supply food for millions of people in the region. The hundreds of ships that are anchored there are dumping raw sewage every day onto the reefs they are occupying,” Derr says. “We are close to a point of no return,” she adds.
The overgrowth of algae is attributed to the high concentrations of Chlorophyll-a, “excess nutrients” from the sewage waste. Such concentrations were found in eight ships in Johnson South Reef and 18 vessels in Tetley Reef last June 17.
As recently as June 2021, Simularity tracked at least 236 ships anchored in the Union Banks in the West Philippine Sea, contributing to harmful activities such as overfishing and sewage dumping.
The following day, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana questioned the authenticity of the report by Simularity through a press release expressing his doubt in the “conclusion reached from just looking at satellite photos” while condemning the misleading thumbnail that accompanied the report.
Lorenzana also mentioned in the press release that he already directed the AFP Western Command to investigate and verify the report.
Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. also expressed his thoughts on the report through a series of tweets, deeming the report fake while refusing to investigate due to the lack of “maritime capability” of the Department of Foreign Affairs.
REFERENCES:
Bolledo, J. (2021, July 13). Jairo Bolledo on. Twitter.
https://twitter.com/jairojourno/status/1414910665106489344/photo/1
Locsin Jr., T. (2021, July 13). Teddy Locsin Jr. on. Twitter.
https://twitter.com/teddyboylocsin/status/1414814585446567940?s=20
Team, W. W. (2021, July 13). Visible from space: Human waste, sewage, wastewater dumped
by China on the South China Sea. WION.
Tomacruz, S. (2021, July 13). Human waste, sewage likely from Chinese ships destroying
Spratly reefs. Rappler.
Reuters. (2021, July 13). Philippines to probe report of Chinese sewage-dumping at sea.
ABS-CBN News. news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/13/21/philippines-to-probe-report-of-chinese-sewage-dumping-at-sea
HiLites ASHS 