Appropriating a P2-B budget for Pasig River cleanup, SMC has already extracted 54,000 metric tons of sludge and waste material along the portion of the major waterway near Malacanang Palace and Pandacan, according to SMC president Ramon Ang.
AS part of its efforts to revitalize Metro Manila’s waterways, the San Miguel Corporation said it has started a P2-billion program aimed at cleaning up Pasig River.
In a statement, SMC said the company will soon start dredging operations at the stretch of the Pasig River near the Marikina River junction, at the Makati-Estrella Street area, and at the river’s mouth in Manila Bay.
To date, SMC has already extracted 54,000 metric tons of sludge and waste material along the portion of the river near Malacanang Palace and Pandacan, according to SMC president Ramon Ang.
“Ang pangunahing suliranin ang gusto naming solusyunan ay ang pagbaha na nararanasan ng milyon-milyong Pilipino sa loob at labas ng Metro Manila. Ito ay dala ng mga problema matagal nang hindi nagagawan ng solusyon. Hindi pagpapaganda ang dapat maging prayoridad kundi ang paglilinis nito na siyang daan para mapaganda ito,” Ang said.
The SMC president added that dredging the Pasig River will also help mitigate the problem of flooding at the Laguna de Bay.
“Sa paglilinis at pagpapalalim ng Ilog Pasig ay magpapataas ng kapasidad nito bilang daanan ng tubig baha galing sa Marikina River na kadalasang napupunta sa Laguna Lake sa pamamagitan ng Manggahan Floodway,” he also said.
“Sa pamamagitan ng paglilinis ay maaring mabawasan ang pagbahang nararanasan ng Marikina at maging mga lungsod at bayan sa Laguna tulad ng Calamba, San Pedro, Biñan, Sta. Cruz at Pila, sa Laguna tulad nung naranasan yung bagyong Ulysses,” he added.
SMC targets to remove up to three million tons of sludge and waste material in five years, or an average of 50,000 metric tons per month.
Ang also refuted critics’ allegations that the dredging of the Pasig River is connected to the conglomerate’s plans to build the Pasig River Expressway (PAREX), an elevated toll road that will skirt the Pasig River bank from Manila to western Rizal.
“Kahit meron o walang PAREX ay lilinisin pa rin namin ang Ilog Pasig. Adbokasiya na namin ang water sustainability. Noon pa man ay naglilinis na kami ng mga ilog sa mga komunidad,” Ang pointed out.
“Simula 2000 ay sinimulan naming ang paglilinis ng Tullahan para makabawas sa pagbaha at suportahan ang rehabilitasyon ng Manila Bay,” he stressed.
Tags: #SanMiguelCorporation, #RamonAng, #PasigRiver, #waterpollution, #dredging, #rehabilitation