Eco-boats for high-tech clean-up of Pasig River

Initial studies conducted on the Pasig River show that solid wastes account for 10 percent of the river’s total waste content. These consist of garbage, plastics and other debris that make the job of rehabilitating Pasig River a tough, challenging endeavor.

But recently, a bright ray of hope shone on the efforts of the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission (PRRC) to rid the Pasig of its wastes, thus paving the way for more vigorous rehabilitation.

The Clean & Green Foundation Inc. (C&GFI) which supports the PRRC in its mission to bring the Pasig River back to life, recently donated two Ecolmare boats to the PRRC to help make its clean-up mission a high-tech approach.

The Ecolmare boats, simply called Eco-boats, have been chosen to defend the river against floating solid wastes that have dwelt in the river for decades. These high-tech boats from Italy are ready for the big clean-up job.

The Eco-boats – have been found to be the most adaptable and suitable solutions to the Pasig River’s clean-up requirements. Built specifically for the transportation and dumping of submerged and floating waste and weeds, they have been proven to be particularly efficient for use in shallow waters such as in Italy’s Venetian Lagoon.

The C&GFI acquired two Ecolmare boats from Italy in 1998 but the boats had not been put into operation. Last December, the C&GFI donated the boats to the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission. The amount to acquire the boats was raised through the various fund raising activities of C&GFI through its Piso Para sa Pasig Project.

The Clean & Green Foundation Inc. has since then committed to fund the importation of three more Eco-Boats. Italian experts have recommended that the Pasig River clean-up would require about 10 boats to effectively accomplish the task of disposing garbage on the river and its tributaries – the esteros, canals and creeks. More funds are necessary to support this endeavor.

The three boats that the C&GFI will acquire will be used by the MMDA to fast-track its present clean-up system and complement the work already being done by the PRRC eco-boats. The Philippine Coast Guard will assist the MMDA in maintaining and operating the Eco-boats.

Imelda P. Sarmiento, C&GFI executive director, says the Clean and Green Foundation Inc. continues to work for the sustained rehabilitation of the Pasig River.

The good news is that a few years after the government’s Pasig River Rehabilitation Program (PRRP) undertook the work of reviving the river. Solid wastes have been reduced to five percent as marked improvements on the river’s condition continued to show.

To effectively reduce, if not eliminate, solid waste, more sophisticated equipment are needed to do the work more effectively. That’s what the donated Ecolmare boats are contributing to the current rehabilitation drive on the Pasig River.