Dredging of Pasig River underway

MANILA, Philippines - The Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission this week declared that the “comprehensive” dredging of the Pasig River is “in progress” despite reports implying possible irregularities in the conduct of the Belgian government-sponsored venture that formally started in April.

“The Pasig River Dredging Project is definitely making a headway,” said Architect Deogracias Tablan, executive director of PRRC, in an apparent attempt to expunge doubts hurled against the P5.038-billion mission to revive the famous water body. According to Tablan, they have in fact already accomplished surveys on elevations, benchmarks, depths, topographic, geographic reference points, river cross-sections, and volume computations. Tablan also said they have established baseline data for water quality analysis and fish tissue, sediment, and benthos inventory for proper monitoring.

“And as required by the environment compliance certificate (ECC), the PRRC has organized the Multi-Partite Monitoring Team and has prepared the environmental monitoring plan to ensure the protection of the environment,” Tablan said.

The Pasig River Dredging Project requires the removal and containment of an estimated 2.8 million cubic meters of debris/sediment materials in a 19-km. stretch of the water body.

It costs P5.038 billion, inclusive of the P34.05-million grant by Belguim to the Philippine government. Of the total cost, around P646 million is under a soft loan, payable for 13.5 years after the completion of the project with zero interest; while the remaining P4.392 billion is under a commercial loan, payable for 10 years with an interest rate based on prevailing EUR’s commercial interest reference rate.

The loan was made possible through the Belgian Supersubsidy Facility, the PRRC said. It is covered under six credit agreements.

Implementation

Initially, the dredging project’s implementation would be for six years. Environment Secretary Lito Atienza, however, directed for a shorter period of three years. Reports, previously claimed that the funding for the Belgian-funded project could be in danger with hints that politicians have allegedly started to muddle into the Pasig River Dredging Project.

PRRC deputy executive director Engr. Alan Gatpolintan denied such report. He even expressed confidence that the project would be finished by next year, as the actual dredging is estimated to begin in the third week of July.

Gatpolintan told The Star that the PRRC and the Belgian Dredging Co. have now started the establishment of one of the two Underwater Placement Overdepth with capping in a “safe site” in Manila Bay. One pit could accommodate 1.4-million cubic meters of contaminated materials taken from the bed of the Pasig River. Specifically, the undertaking would cover portion of the Pasig River from an extension into Manila Bay to the Napindan Hydraulic Flood Control Gate. The dredged materials would be contained using the UPOC technology, a type of confined disposal facility. UPOC involves the excavation of the containment cell at the seabed using a tractor suction hopper dredger or mechanical clamshell bucket, the PRRC said. The project aims to improve water quality of the river to reduce health risks, enhance transport potentials, and eliminate/mitigate flooding in the area. “This technology is proven and tested, and has been used in the United States, Hong Kong, and even in our country before, in a project undertaken by the DPWH,” Gatpolintan said.