116,812 join Run for Pasig River; dredging finished

MANILA, Philippines - Residents of Metro Manila can now count on the Pasig River to help ease flooding problems even with the threat of La Niña in the coming months.

Like a clogged heart artery, Pasig River posed a threat to residents living near its banks because of how its waterbed had become heavily silted with debris and trash.

For years, Metro Manila’s river of life yearned for a second lease of its old glory days and on Saturday, the precious body of water finally claimed a part of its dignity, amid a festive turnover of dredging facilities of Belgian firm Baggerwerken Decloedt & Zoon (BDZ) to the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission (PRRC.)

The turnover was attended by other non-government organizations working to revive the Pasig River including Gawad Kalinga prime mover Antonio Meloto.

GK advocate Maria Montelibano said the GK staged a concert last night to mark the completion of the project.

“The message is very clear: the people should do their share in protecting and preserving the Pasig River because it is our lifeline,” Montelibano said.

The fiesta atmosphere befitted the long-neglected river that was the source of inspiration of artists and the source of income for many.

Completed two months ahead of schedule, the dredging of the Pasig River could not have come at a more opportune time as from a four-meter depth, a 20-kilometer portion of the Pasig River now runs six meters deep with the removal of some 2.8 metric tons of contaminated debris dug from the riverbed.

“We expect to have a better flood control, not to mention the increased income opportunities for transport companies plying the river,” PRRC deputy executive director engineer Allan Gatpolintan said.

“We are satisfied with what the BDZ had done, completing the project ahead of schedule,” he added during the turnover activity.

Declared as a priority project in 2008 under Executive Order 717, the project involved dredging the river from the C-5 road extension to the mouth of Manila Bay.

Gatpolintan said Pasig River’s pollutants consisted of 60 percent domestic and industrial waste with 40 percent silt.

Apart from improving the river’s depth to six meters, the project also increased the river’s flow to 30 percent making navigation easier and flood control more effective.

BDZ, one of the most reputable dredging companies in the world, worked 24 hours a day to beat the December 2010 deadline.

For the debris, it employed the Underwater Placement Over Depth Capping or UPOC to contain the contaminated materials.

The UPOC technology by BDZ is currently employed in other countries like Belgium, Hong Kong, Germany, China, Argentina and Papua New Guinea.

Critics who had initially opposed the project were silenced when it was shown that UPOC has been proven to be environmentally safe and sound. – With Patricia Esteves