Reviving Pasig river

So many myths and folktales have been told about Pasig River. One account says a giant snake made a deal with traders, offering to create a river stretching from Laguna Bay to Manila Bay to help transport goods in exchange for the traders’ souls when they die. Then there is the story of Virgilio whose boat suddenly capsized. He kept yelling to his sweetheart, “Paz, sigue mé,” as he was carried away by the current, until all that could be heard was “Paz, sig” — after which people started calling the river “Pasig.”

What is no myth though is the fact that Pasig River played a key role in the history and development of Manila. There’s Intramuros on the southern part near the mouth of the river, while Malacañang Palace stands on its northern bank. Stretching for 26 kilometers, Pasig’s major tributaries are the Marikina and San Juan rivers, and its basin includes Pasig, Pateros, Caloocan, Marikina, Pasay, Taguig, San Juan, Quezon City, Mandaluyong and Makati.

The river’s strategic location made it integral in the economic activity of the metropolis, providing a major means of transport. Pasig was a source of life to Filipinos, and it used to be so clean people would drink the water and wash their clothes on the banks.

After World War II, however, intensified construction, massive population growth and industrialization in other areas diminished the importance of the river. As a result, Pasig River was reduced into a sewer, a dumping ground for all kinds of wastes from factories and squatters who lined up the banks with their shanties. 

The pollution in the river became pronounced during the ’70s when the stink became unbearable. Fishing stopped in the ’80s, and by the ’90s, Pasig River was considered biologically dead. The waters became dark and murky, and instead of fish, what thrived were floating islands of garbage and high levels of coliform bacteria. What was once a source of life became a fountainhead of disease and even death.

Government intensified efforts to revive the river during the early ’90s with former First Lady Ming Ramos spearheading the Clean and Green Foundation, launching campaigns like Sagip Pasig and Piso Para sa Pasig. During his term, Erap Estrada signed an Executive Order expanding the powers of the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission to include waste management and squatter resettlement.

While untreated chemical wastes from factories have largely contributed to the pollution, there’s no denying that filthy and unsanitary conditions in slum areas along the river bank exacerbated the condition. I’m told it’s not unusual to see residents throwing “flying toilets” (plastic bags containing human waste) straight into the water.

The work of reviving Pasig River will take a long time and is easier said than done, but perhaps one can take consolation from the example of Thames River in England, which reached such levels of pollution that four cholera epidemics attributed to the water killed 35,000 people between 1831 and 1866. In 1858, the stink forced Members of Parliament to hang sheets soaked in lime chloride on the windows of the House of Commons and dump tons of carbolic acid into the river to fight the smell. Over the years, efforts to save Thames were stepped-up, but it was only in 1974 — after 150 years — when fish began returning to the river.

The same thing can be done with Pasig, especially now that Mrs. Ramos has turned over the “Piso Para sa Pasig” project to the younger generation, represented by Gina Lopez of the ABS-CBN Foundation’s Bantay Kalikasan. I met with Gina over lunch the other day and she’s certainly prepared to accept the challenge, having signed a memorandum of agreement with the DENR for the rehabilitation of our river systems.

Gina says it will take seven years to revive the water to Class C or sustainable for the growth of fish and other aquatic life, and suitable for fishing, wading and other water recreation. Bantay Kalikasan’s “Kapit Bisig sa Ilog Pasig” project is employing a multi-pronged approach which includes the relocation/resettlement of squatters along the river and its tributaries. To date, there are 10,000 families living in 407 communities in nine cities which contribute to the pollution.

There will also be pedicabs going around barangays, collecting wastes, biodigesters (containers that capture methane or biogas), plastics, organic shredders and even community toilets and balers (a machine similar to a compressor). In fact, free septic tank dislodging will be provided to residents in communities under the Clean River Zone program to clean up liquid wastes dumped into the river.

While reviving Pasig is really the work of government, it will certainly need the cooperation of the private sector. Gina and Bantay Kalikasan have been successful in saving La Mesa Dam, and a lot of people believe she can do the same with Pasig River. But it will take the help of media, business and everyone else who still has some love left for this country to make the waters of Pasig flow with vibrant life once again.

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A congressman who was at the birthday party/book launching/“declaration” of senator and environmental advocate Loren Legarda at the Makati Shang last Wednesday commented to me that if everyone who was there — the who’s who in Manila, big-time businessmen, top politicians and local leaders — will be solidly behind Loren, then she will definitely be the next president. But then again, all of these people are expected to attend the parties of Manny Villar, Noli de Castro, Joseph Estrada, Chiz Escudero, Gilbert Teodoro and perhaps even Brother Mike and Chief Justice Puno.

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