Biofence helping clean waterways in Cebu City

CEBU, Philippines —  It looks like Cebu City is heading in the right direction in cleaning its waterways of garbage.

With the help of the so-called biofence, the city’s Department of Public Services has already collected 26 tons of trash from three rivers alone after just a month.

“Nakita namo nga dako og natabang ang biofence sa paglimpyo sa atong kasapaan maong atong ipadayon ni sa barangay. CENRO’s planning to turn over the biofence to the barangays next week,” said Nida Cabrera, head of the Cebu City Cebu City Environmental and Natural Resources Office

It was last month when CENRO launched the biofence, which is made up of recycled plastic bottles wrapped in fishnets.

The biofence, which is about 10-meters long and half-a-meter wide, is designed to float on riverbanks, creeks, and other waterways to trap garbage that flow there.

At present, a biofence is installed at three bodies of water in the city – the fish port in Barangays Pasil and Suba, the Tinago Promenade in Barangays San Roque and Tinago, and at the river near the Tejero barangay hall.

She said several barangays have already requested for the biofence but DPS is still collecting water bottles to create more of fences that would be installed at 10 river systems in the city.

Barangay officials have vowed to help collect water bottles.

Cabrera said her office plans to install biofences at all river systems in every barangay to determine, to some degree, which barangays are producing the most garbage. This way, the city can also find ways to address the problem.

Cabrera said the city has to work harder to clean the Guadalupe River, which, for her, is the biggest, longest, and dirtiest river in the city.

“Unta ba, kinahanglan namo nga i-scale down sa barangays kay aron ma-sustain pod kay dili ra kaya sa CENRO,” she said.

While the biofence works, Cabrera acknowledged that it is not a long-term solution. The best way, she said, is still to not dump garbage into waterways at all.

“Ang community mo-take part pod by refraining from throwing garbage sa sapa,” she said.

Yesterday, employees of CENRO helped in the enhancement and beautification of three-meter easement of Mahiga Creek at Block 27 at the North Reclamation Area.

Cabrera said the office used eco-bricks and eco-pavers to beautify the easement area of the creek.

A biofence will also be installed there to trap the garbage at the creek.

Cabrera said eco-bricks are plastic bottle stuffed with plastic to create a reusable building block in a form of benches while eco-pavers are made of crushed glass combined to cement mixture.

“Puros recyclable atong gamit dinha ang eco-bricks, ang eco-pavers, ug ang biofence. Mag landscape pod ta, magbutang og tanom para manindot ang lugar,” she said.

The Mahiga Creek is being enhanced in line with the restoration of the Tinago Promenade since two waterways will be showcased during the celebration of the International River’s Summit next month. — JMO (FREEMAN)