MALOLOS CITY — About 1,300 cleanup drives on various rivers and coastal areas in Bulacan were conducted by Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) since the launch of #BattleForManilaBay in 2019.
Bulacan Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer Emelita Lingat said approximately 6,000 volunteers participated in these cleanup drives which resulted in the collection of over 357,000 tons of solid waste.
“We are serious in our program to clean the Bulacan portion of the Manila Bay area. We are now seeing the results of our collaborative efforts with local governments and communities, but still we need to do more to end this battle,” she said.
DENR Bulacan has also recovered a total of 30 kilometers of easement or river bank along Marilao-Meycauyan-Obando river system.
“We need to protect our river easement from littering and illegal construction of structures to ensure the cleanliness of Manila Bay,” she added.
Meanwhile, five floating trash traps measuring 120 linear meters were also installed in five barangays of Meycauayan to prevent solid waste from reaching the shoreline of Manila Bay.
This is being monitored daily by about 100 estero rangers hired by DENR to help in the cleanup and rehabilitation of rivers.
Removal of submerged solid wastes along Marilao-Meycauayan-Obando river system were also conducted through mechanized cleanup or using back-hoe, a process known as grubbing.
“A total of 2,160 cubic meters of mixed silt and trash were grubbed. This process can facilitate the faster cleaning of rivers and tributaries especially those heavily polluted,” Lingat shared.
In a statement, DENR Regional Executive Director Paquito Moreno Jr. said they will conduct more river and coastal cleanups; delineation and recovery of river easement areas; grubbing; installation of floating trash traps; conduct of information, education and communication activities; and resettlement of informal settlers this year in the Manila Bay areas of Central Luzon covering the provinces of Pampanga, Bulacan, Bataan, Tarlac and Nueva Ecija.
He also appealed to the public and local government units to support the national government initiatives in saving Manila Bay and encouraged them to strictly practice the proper solid waste management.