San Miguel, tumutulong sa pamahalaan para protektahan ang natitirang old growth mangrove forest sa Metro Manila

Dadagdagan pa ng San Miguel Corporation ang volunteers mula sa hanay nito para tulungan ang Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) at lokal na pamahalaan ng Navotas sa sa paglilinis ng Isla Pulo, isa sa tinaguriang “remaining old-growth mangrove forest” sa Metro Manila.

Last Old-Growth Mangrove Forest in Metro Manila

Simula pa noong Oktobre na ginagawa na ng kumpanya lingguhang paglilinis sa lugar sa tulong ng employee volunteers, residente ng Barangay Tanza 1, mga tauhan ng lokal na pamahalaan ng Navotas, Philippine National Police-Navotas, at 51st Engineers Brigade of the Philippine Army, at DENR.

Mangrove
Mangrove Forest Clean-up in Navotas (Photo courtesy of SMC)

Umabot na sa 3,803 na sako na basura na ang naialis sa nasabing mangrove area, nagsisilbing proteksyon ng mga katabing bayan sa storm surges at coastline erosion.

Read SMC plants 3.5 million trees, mangroves on 1000 hectares of degraded forest lands nationwide, reports 90% survival rate

Ang paglilinis ng nasabing 3.5 kilometro na shoreline at mangrove area ng 26 na ektaryang isla ay karagdagang proyekyo ng kumpanya na sa kasalukuyan ay abala rin sa paglilinis ng Tullahan-Tinajeros river system para maibsan ang pagbaha.

“Solid waste pollution of our waterways, shorelines, and major bodies of waters such as our rivers and seas, is a critical problem that we cannot emphasize enough. They threaten not only marine life, our environment, the livelihood of our fishermen, but also, every Filipino living in Metro Manila and even nearby provinces, whose lives are regularly disrupted by flooding during the rainy season,” wika ni SMC President Ramon S. Ang.

“Following reports from our partner government agencies that a huge amount of garbage from the Manila Bay and nearby tributaries have ended up at the Tanza Marine Tree Park, we immediately expanded our flood mitigation efforts, from dredging and extracting wastes from the 27-km Tullahan River, to also partnering with stakeholders to conduct regular clean-ups,” dagdag pa niya.

Read SMC to start 80 Hectare Mangrove Plantation in Paombong Bulacan

Sagot ng SMC ang supplies, protective gear at pagkain ng mga volunteers at pati na rin ang koordinasyon para sa volunteers mula sa komunidad at iba pang sangay ng pamahalaan.

Mangrove
Mangrove Forest Clean-up in Navotas (Photo courtesy of SMC)

Sa paglilinis ng Tullahan-Tinajeros River System Rehabilitation Project na pinondohan ng kumpanya ng P1 bilyon ay umaabot na sa 593,911 metric tons ng basura at putik na naialis mula sa ilog. Ang Tullahan na dumadaloy hanggang sa Manila Bay ay isa sa mga ilog na pinangagalingan ng basura na plastic sa nakakarating sa mga karagatan. Kasama ang Pasig River sa listahan na ito.

Nakatulong na ang Tullahan-Tinajeros river rehabilitation project sa pagbabawas ng malubhang baha sa Navotas, Malabon, and Valenzuela. Nakatuon ang dredging teams ng kumpanya sa bahagi ng ilog na malapit sa Catmon at Maysilo sa Malabon City.

Read SMC Bares Plan to Protect Birds around Bulacan Airport Project

Binabalikat rin ng San Miguel ang rehabilitasyon ng Pasig River na pinondohan nito ng P2 bilyon. Kamakailan ay nakatanggap ang San Miguel ng $1.5 milyon na donasyon mula sa Japanese shipping giant NYK Line para ibili ng karagdagan na dredging equipment.

Umaabot na 129,600 metric tons ng basura at putik na natanggal mula sa Pasig River at ang paglinis ay umabot na bahagi ng ilog na kalapit ng San Juan River.

Read SMC, Gov’t, and Taliptip Relocatees team up to boost flood mitigation efforts in Bulacan

“While flood mitigation is the initial objective of the dredging and clean-up efforts, the long-term goal is to rehabilitate our major rivers to the point where they support healthy marine life, and be safe enough for recreational activities like swimming, and perhaps, even become be a source of potable water. We hope to achieve this with the help of all stakeholders and with the implementation of more effective solid waste management practices and effective wastewater treatment throughout Metro Manila,” wika ni Ang.

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