Belmonte urges tight watch on waterways

Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr. has urged the Environment Protection and Waste Management Department in the city to keep a tight watch against illegal dumping of garbage in creeks and rivers to prevent clogging of waterways that may trigger unnecessary flooding during rainy days.

Belmonte told Frederika Rentoy, EPWD chief to mobilize residents along waterways to help in preventing the illegal dumping of garbage in their respective localities. The mayor appealed after he personally saw piles of garbage in one of the major creeks in the city.

According to reports scavengers who collect door-to-door garbage for a fee using pushcarts as well as some residents in familiar areas are responsible for the illegal dumping of garbage.

Rentoy in his reports said measures were already implemented to ensure that only accredited door-to-door garbage collectors will be allowed to collect garbage from residents to make sure proper waste segregation and disposal are in order.

The city government in coordination with Metro Manila Development Authority has been conducting regular clearing of rivers, creeks and other waterways traversing the city. The clearing operations called "Sagip Batis" was cited by a Japan-based disaster control agency as among the sound practices being implemented in the mega cities all over the world.

The "Sagip Batis" program, which is being implemented with the help of 1,000 volunteers living along creeks and waterways, has resulted in the dramatic reduction of flooding in the city.

Reports said that overflowing of waterways has been reduced to almost 60 percent since the program was implemented two years ago.