Pasig River cleanup progressing – SMC

SAN Miguel Corp. (SMC) expects its P2-billion Pasig River cleanup project to cross the one million metric ton (MMT) threshold in terms of silt and solid wastes removed this month.

The firm said its dredging teams were focusing efforts at both ends of the river — Manila Bay and Laguna Lake — where significant water flow restriction is known to occur.

SMC President and Chief Executive Officer Ramon Ang said that with the company’s ongoing cleanup, the Pasig River’s floodcarrying capacity has significantly improved.

“From just 2 to 3 meters deep at the start of the project, completed sections now have depths of up to 5 to 6 meters,” Ang said.

He added that the pace of the Pasig River cleanup was considerably faster compared to an earlier project to clean the Tullahan River owing to its deployment of more heavy equipment and personnel.

To date, SMC’s cleanup teams have extracted a total of 927,198 MT of silt and waste from the Pasig River, with monthly targets now at more than 70,000 tons.

Apart from removing waste and improving water flow and the river’s carrying capacity to help mitigate flooding, navigability and safety for ferries and other vessels have also improved.

“The easing of restrictions, along with the additional personnel and equipment, we were able to put on the ground, have allowed us to achieve our cleanup targets much faster,” Ang said. “Hopefully, by the time the rainy season sets in later this year, our cities will feel the benefits of the Pasig River’s larger carrying capacity, along with the government’s other flood mitigation and control programs.”

ED PAOLO SALTING