SMC clears 9.12 million metric tons of river waste

SAN MIGUEL Corp. (SMC) has cleaned up about 9.12 million metric tons (MT) of silt, solid waste and other debris from major waterways since 2020, under its river cleanup program.

In a media release on Thursday, SMC said it cleared more than 1.04 million tons of waste from four river systems, based on latest figures. This covered 24.29 kilometers (km) of waterways along the Tullahan River, San Juan River, Laguna rivers, and the Bulacan River System.

“These river systems were among the waterways covered by our earlier cleanup efforts, but keeping them clear requires continuing maintenance,” SMC Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Ramon S. Ang said.

“This latest work, in support of the government’s Oplan Kontra Baha program, is part of our effort to protect the progress we have already made, preserve their water-carrying capacity, and prevent the buildup of waste and silt that can worsen flooding.”

The largest volume from the latest maintenance operations were from the Bulacan River System, where 719,168 MT of waste were removed from 13.38 km of the Maycapiz-Taliptip-Bambang River and the downstream portion of the Meycauayan River.

SMC also removed 144,324 MT, 83,289 MT, and 107, 192 MT of waste from the Tullahan River, San Juan River and Laguna rivers (Biñan and San Isidro), respectively.

Meanwhile, SMC is also working on removing river wastes in Parañaque, other Laguna rivers (Landayan, San Pedro and Silang-Santa Rosa), Alabang River, Las Piñas River System, Tabang River in Bulacan, and Tanza River in Navotas.

It also started cleanup work in the upstream section of the Tullahan River in Quezon City last March. — CAT