Philippines: MMDA Continues Metro Manila Dredging Operations

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) yesterday continued its quarterly “Estero Blitz” in an effort to clear the creeks and waterways of Metro Manila and avoid the recurrence of dangers brought by calamities like ‘Ondoy.’

MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino led yesterday’s morning resumption of the cleanup and dredging operations at the heavily-silted Estero De Vitas and Estero Kabulusan in Pritil District, Tondo.

Yesterday’s activity was able to collect several truckloads of garbage from the two esteros and other connecting waterways.

Tolentino also met with the barangay officials and in a dialogue with them said, “We hope we can help each other in this cleanup activity. The simplest contribution is to stop the indiscriminate dumping of litter and use of plastic which clog our waterways.”

He urged barangay officials to pass ordinances that will discourage the use of plastics and styrofoam packaging in their areas to reduce, if not eliminate, non-biodegradable wastes clogging the Metro’s drainage canals, creeks, and other waterways.

“ Like our August Estero Blitz, this daily clean up will be extensive,” Tolentino stressed. “Our target is to clean and dredge at least 1.7 kilometers of waterways a day.”

He further said, “We hope to cover 129 barangays with nine esteros, five creeks and two rivers in the cities of Manila, Makati, Pasay, Paranaque and Muntinlupa with a total length of 31.914 kilometers this month for 18 days.”

The Estero Blitz program was launched in August 2011 and it involves the daily cleanup of esteros, creeks, and drainages in flood-prone areas in Metro Manila to prevent flooding during heavy rains.

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Dredging Today Staff, February 7, 2012;