1 week ago
4
ILOILO CITY — The local government here is set to install waste traps made of fishnet in creeks and drainage outfall areas to curb worsening waste pollution in the city's waterways.
General Services Office (GSO) chief Neil Ravena said the initiative aims to reduce garbage entering the Iloilo and Batiano rivers by identifying and addressing waste accumulation hot spots.
Ravena said the GSO will kick-start the installation of the waste traps in Dungon Creek and in an outfall in the Nabitasan waterways that lead to the Iloilo River.
"That will be our priorities, because based on our investigation, that is where the remnants of the appliances like television and refrigerators come from," Ravena said on Monday.
The GSO is monitoring 18 villages along the Iloilo River and 26 coastal barangay (villages), focusing on areas contributing most to drainage clogging and marine litter.
Get the latest news
delivered to your inbox
Sign up for The Manila Times newsletters
By signing up with an email address, I acknowledge that I have read and agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
"So far, the Batiano River alone has yielded around 900 kilograms of mixed waste," Ravena said.
While cleanup efforts continue in Batiano, Ravena said that the Iloilo River, especially around the city's Sunset Boulevard, also requires urgent attention due to pollution.
The GSO plans to convene barangay officials to reinforce compliance with waste disposal rules.
Ravena said the office may also seek assistance from the Office of the Ombudsman, and the Department of the Interior and Local Government to serve as a stern warning to noncompliant villages.
Earlier this year, the city partnered with the United States Agency for International Development and Central Philippine University to pilot a study on solid waste management behaviors in 18 villages.
However, Ravena said the study's coverage was insufficient, representing only 10 percent of the city's 180 barangay.
Ravena said they are aiming to replicate the same study in at least 36 barangay to mitigate the problem of throwing their garbage into the rivers and waterways.
"We want to expand the behavioral study to at least 36 barangay. One glaring issue is that some residents still find it more convenient to throw waste out their windows," he said.
"One of our identifying gaps on the behavioral changes is that it's more convenient for them to throw the waste just outside the window."
Ravena also highlighted the persisting waste collection challenges in riverside and coastal communities that are accessible only via footbridges.
Ravena said the GSO is planning to create a dedicated division for solid waste management to strengthen the city's response.
The team, he said, will be responsible for monitoring the garbage collection system in real time.
"They will monitor it online so that we will identify the villages that have problems with the collection system," he added.
