Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 6) — San Miguel Corporation (SMC) hopes to complete its ₱2-billion cleanup project of the Pasig River next month as it has removed over a million metric tons of silt and solid waste from the historic but polluted waterway nearly two years after it launched the initiative.
In a statement Thursday, SMC President and CEO Ramon Ang said the company has been able to remove 1.3 million tons of waste from critical sections of the river and is expected to close in on the 1.5 million-ton mark by the time the initiative wraps up.More than the number of silt and solid waste removed from the river, we would like to emphasize the benefits of the river cleanup, such as the increase in its depth, and the widening of some narrow portions that have resulted in greater river capacity, faster water flow, and lesser chance of severe flooding, particularly in vulnerable communities near the River,” Ang said.The benefits of the cleanup, according to the business magnate, will be apparent in the coming months as the country braces for heavy rains.Ang said the Pasig River project output topped the 1.12 million tons of silt and waste recovered from the Tullahan River in just over two years.With restrictions easing, and with the benefit of larger equipment as well as learnings from the Tullahan cleanup, we were able to hit the same output for the Pasig River in just 20 months,” he added.SMC is currently extracting at least 2,000 metric tons of waste covering 21.62 kilometers of Pasig River per day.The project, in partnership with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and other government agencies, is in support of the Manila Bay rehabilitation effort and is being implemented at no cost to the government.SMC said it is also cleaning up the San Juan River, a major tributary of the Pasig River, and has so far removed over 170,000 tons of silt and solid waste.
