AFTER the massive flood caused by rains induced by Typhoon Ulysses early this month, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) vowed to continue various estero-cleanup activities as part of the rehabilitation of Manila Bay.
The huge volume of rain dumped by Typhoon Ulysses caused major rivers in Luzon that pass through the National Capital Region (NCR) and drain to Manila Bay — including San Juan, Marikina, and Tullahan – to overflow.
The clogging of esteros is also being blamed for the massive floods in low-lying areas in Metro Manila, with some barangays being completely being submerged by floodwater.
“As the rehabilitation of Manila Bay pushes forward, we have not waned in our efforts to declog esteros in Metro Manila to ensure that these are free of waste materials that choke rivers and river systems,” Environment Secretary Roy A. Cimatu said in a statement.
“Declogging these waterways brings back their depth to prevent overflow that inundates nearby communities and lead to loss of lives and property,” he added.
As of October 29, the DENR cleanup activities within the Manila Bay region have covered a total of 51.88 kilometers of primary esteros and removed 526,477.58 cubic meters of garbage and silt.
Before emptying into Manila Bay, these esteros drain into primary river systems, such as Pasig, San Juan, Las Piñas-Zapote, Taguig-Pateros, Parañaque, Marikina, and Navotas-Malabon.
The DENR conducts regular cleanup activities in creeks leading to these rivers. The cleanup activities include clearing, desilting, grubbing, removal and hauling of submerged garbage in esteros.
These activities have also lowered the fecal coliform level in the Manila Baywalk area from 62,700 most probable number per 100 millimeters (mpn/100ml) in January 2019 to 9,200 mpn/100ml in September 2020.
Cimatu, who chairs the Manila Bay Inter-Agency Task Force, said the cooperation of all stakeholders was essential and critical in restoring the water quality of Manila Bay.
“The DENR has been working with local government units and has entered into partnerships with the private sector to sustain the efforts initiated by the task force,” Cimatu said.
According to Cimatu, “garbage-free waterways will help mitigate flooding as typhoons intensify and increase in number every year because of climate change.
In partnership with the Department of Public Works and Highways, 78.34 percent or 656,180.72 cubic meters out of the targeted 837,572.42 cubic meters of dredged materials have been removed from creeks and rivers.
Other solid waste management interventions to clean Manila Bay include the installation of trash traps or trash screens in esteros to prevent trash from further flowing downstream, and the distribution of rolling trash bins and tri-bike or habal-habal in barangays for proper waste collection.
The DENR hired estero rangers to cleanup esteros, collect garbage particularly in areas not accessible to garbage trucks, and to report indiscriminate waste disposal.
Last year, the DENR entered into a memorandum of agreement with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for the implementation of the P1.7-billion Manila Bay Rehabiltation Program. One of the four major components of the DENR-DPWH joint undertaking is the P640 million Prior Estero Project which involves massive dredging of silt and garbage in at least 40 esteros, mostly in Manila, Pasay and Paranaque.
Of these, 19 have been completed and more than 20 are still in various phases of project implementation.
San Miguel Corporation, which is gearing up for construction of its P734-billion Manila International Airport Project in Bulakan, Bulacan, has been offering help to the national government to address perennial flooding in Metro Manila and Bulacan.
The ongoing P1-billion, 10-year Tullahan-Tinajeros River System dredging project will be replicated in Bulacan upon the request of local officials in the Province, to help mitigate flooding which has affected Bulacan’s residents, particularly those living in low-lying areas of the province.
Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon last experienced a massive flood in 2009 during the onslaught of Typhoon Ondoy, considered as one of the worst in the country’s history.
Image credits: Ace Morandante/Malacañang Presidential Photographers Division via AP