Less than four months since completing its P2-billion initiative to clean up the Pasig River, San Miguel Corp.’s (SMC) comprehensive efforts to rehabilitate major river systems has shifted to high gear in Central Luzon.
In a little over a year, the company has removed more than 2 million MT of silt and waste covering a distance of around 25 kilometers of river channels in Bulacan, initially focusing in areas around the future New Manila International Airport and upstream rivers in Obando, Bulakan, Bocaue and Meycauayan City within the same catch basin.
Additionally, SMC has started conducting bathymetric studies at the Pampanga River, following the completion of river studies in another catch basin in Bulacan.
These studies aim to assess the depth of water across the river channels and determine the shallow areas that restrict the flow of water through both provinces before reaching Manila Bay. Heavy siltation and pollution in these rivers are major contributors to the widespread flooding in both Bulacan and Pampanga.
Ramon S. Ang, SMC president and chief executive, said t although the rainy season is months away, their cleanup teams have started working to increase the water-carrying capacity of these rivers and mitigate flooding, especially in low-lying areas, during heavy rains.
Ang explained that siltation and pollution have made many rivers narrow, shallow, and less capable of handling large volumes of floodwater, leading to severe flooding in adjacent areas.
Last October 2023, SMC launched its expanded river cleanup program by signing a memorandum of agreement with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Department of Public Works and Highways and the local government units of several cities and provinces.
The expanded program will include the upstream areas of the Meycauayan, Marilao, Bocaue and Guiguinto; other main river systems in different catch basins in Malolos, Hagonoy and Calumpit; the Pampanga River, and rivers in Laguna, Cavite, Navotas, and San Juan.
SMC is further extending its cleanup operations in Bulacan to include the Pamarawan River, Malolos River, Hagonoy River, Labangan-Angat River, and Pampanga River, extending up to the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX).
