Accident waiting to happen

There is a ticking time bomb at the Pasig River.

Those who happen to get a glimpse of the river may have noticed repair works being conducted at several points along the river walls as part of the development of an improved flood control system.

To protect and support the river walls, particularly the areas nearing collapse due to damage and probably old age, which are supported by a steel sheet pile planted into the river bank, boulders or “riprap” were dumped along the shore to brace the pile and add structure support.

But since the boulders are submerged underwater during high tide and are therefore not visible especially at night, this has resulted in a nightmare for marine traffic along Pasig River.

Barges, tugboats, oil tankers, and even ferryboats, ply the river daily, transporting goods and people. In 2000, around 6.9 million tons of cargo passed through Pasig River.

From the mother ship that lands at Manila Bay, goods are discharged onto barges that deliver them to their destination piers along Pasig River. Flour and feed millers alone receive around 100,000 tons of wheat and soybean every month at their piers. These include Universal Robina Corp., Liberty Flour Mills, Wellington, Morning Star, RFM, Delta, and Foremost, among others. At $300 per ton, that means $30 million worth of grains being transported along Pasig River on a monthly basis.

But it is not only the flour and feed millers that depend on this river for their requirements. From the petroleum refineries, oil and other petroleum products find their way to the Pandacan oil depot via pipelines. But from the pipeline, these products are transferred to oil tankers that traverse the Pasig River to deliver these to the customers. Silica sand used by glass manufacturers, coconut oil, soda ash, and many other products are transported from the source to the user via this very important body of water.

Barge and tugboat operators belonging to the Lighterage Association of the Philippines have brought to the attention of concerned agencies the very high possibility that strong currents caused by heavy rains will result in barges transporting these goods colliding with boulders, especially in narrow sections where the river curves. They cited in particular the curve next to the San Juan River as posing the biggest danger especially because this tributary waterway serves as a flood channel for the Quezon City area. Heavy rains produce excess water that pours into the Pasig River and generates strong current at which time the tugboats and barges become uncontrollable, making them susceptible to collision with the boulders that line the river banks in this curve.

The group also explains that just like any major highway, users of Pasig River needs emergency bays where stalled vehicles (in this case, vessels) can be parked so as not to impede traffic or pose danger to other vehicles traversing the highway. Before, when something wrong happens to a barge, all they have to do is pull them over to the side of the river so as not to get in the way of other users of the river. Not anymore. The boulders prevent this from being done.

Internationally sound and prudent practice requires that in order to stabilize steel sheet piling, they should be anchored to the shoreline. But since the boulders have already been dumped along the river banks, the group has proposed the construction of bumper dolphins in the areas where the boulders are located. Dolphins, made from sturdy timber, will absorb the impact of collision with barges without causing structural damage to the vessel. And unlike the boulders which may have sharp edges, these Dolphins have a flat surface. But according to the Department of Public Works and Highways, there is no funding available for constructing Dolphins and instead suggested that buoys be installed to make the location of the boulders. That is if vessels can be steered. But in case of engine trouble or strong currents, they cannot be controlled. The buoys will serve no purpose in these instances.

Another solution of course is to remove the boulders from the river and to install counterweights for the river wall, underneath the wall itself. This of course would be more costly and tedious since long portions of the river bank will have to be excavated. This leaves the installation of the Dolphins as the most viable solution.

Whoever is in charge of the civil works at the Pasig River – be it the DPWH, the Philippine Ports Authority (which collects 80 centavos per gross tonnage per day from all barges or tugboats that are registered to utilize the river, whether actually plying the river that day or simply docked), or the Pasig River Rehabilitation Committee which some government agencies claim oversees all work at the river – better wake up to the fact that the dangers are very real. Collisions will not only endanger billions of pesos worth of cargoes. They can end the lives of passengers and crew. Damaged vessels such as oil tankers, which transit the river daily, could further pollute the river. The Pasig River is already a narrow channel. Dumping boulders along the banks have made the river even more narrower and more vulnerable to accidents.

Had the commercial users of Pasig River been consulted before this JICA-funded activity of throwing boulders along the riverbanks even took off, then the need to spend more funds to prevent an imminent loss of lives and property would not have occurred. Was it simply oversight on the part of the project proponent? Wasn’t there enough planning and studies conducted before deciding on resorting to putting these boulders? Were they scrimping on funds? Was somebody cutting corners?

Either they remove the boulders or install the Dolphins immediately. No action is simply unacceptable. It may just be a matter of days before a huge typhoon hits Metro Manila, or before disaster strikes. Time is of the essence.

Clarification

There appears to be a mistake in one of the articles I’ve written regarding the recent launch by Globe Telecom of the new IPhone 4 last Sunday.

The article says “Apple’s newest and thinnest smartphone in the market will be exclusively distributed by Globe until Sept. 30.”

Globe officials have clarified that there is no deadline on the exclusive distribution by the telecom firm of this newest phone by Apple.

Even before the official launch of IPhone 4, reservations have been pouring in so that demand reportedly has already exceeded supply.

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