Chinese Vessels Dumping Human Waste Causing Severe Damage To West Philippine Sea, Analyst Says

Hundreds of Chinese ships remain anchored in the South China Sea and parts of the West Philippine Sea but their irresponsible dumping of human waste and sewage is threatening the resource-rich waters.

According to a US-based expert, the Chinese ships are dumping human waste and sewage into these areas and such is causing massive marine damage.

Liz Derr, the founder and CEO of Simularity, claims that Chinese ships have been dumping raw sewage daily for several years on reefs. This has raised the levels of chlorophyll that has resulted in a cascade of reef damage that will take decades to recover even with active mitigation.

“It is so intense you can see it from space,” Derr said during an online forum hosted by the Stratbase ADR Institute on the 5th anniversary of the Philippines’ landmark arbitral tribunal victory against China.

“When the ships don’t move, the poop piles up,” she added. “The damage to the reefs in the last five years is visible and dramatic.”

As of June 17, there were at least 236 Chinese ships spotted in the Union Banks of Pagkakaisa Reefs.

Derr further warned that damage to the reefs could have dire consequences, one of which is that it could lead to a hunger crisis. A reason tied to this is that the sickening practice could lead to the collapse of commercial fishing in the South China Sea.

The development is the latest in the dispute that China has been batting on the entire South China Sea. They have expanded their presence through the years as the disputes continue with other countries such as the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam.

Derr also explained that the coral cover, a measure of the proportion of reef surface covered by live stony coral, has already declined by an average of 67% in the last 10 to 15 years. Fish stock is also down by 66 to 75% in the last 20 years.

“This is a catastrophe of epic proportions and we are close to the point of no return. This needs to stop immediately,” Derr said. “It is not a problem for one nation defending one economic zone.”