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BY GLENDA SOLOGASTOA
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Wednesday, May 17, 2017
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ILOILO City – The Iloilo River can be a model in river cleanup, according to newly-installed Environment secretary Roy Cimatu.
From Davao City where he conferred with President Rodrigo Duterte yesterday, Cimatu dropped by Iloilo City. He said he was checking local government units’ implementation of programs related to environmental protection and conservation.
He was impressed by efforts to clean the Iloilo River which is actually an estuary, said Cimatu.
“Hindi na ako makakita ng mas malinis pa kaysa dito,” said Cimatu who was appointed to head the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) just this May 8.
A retired Armed Forces of the Philippines chief, Cimatu may not have heard of Pandan, Antique’s Bugang River, a Hall of Fame awardee in the government’s Cleanest Inland Body of Water contest.
“I would like to make this (Iloilo River) a model for cleaning the rivers in the country,” said Cimatu.
He noted the sustained efforts to keep the Iloilo River clean.
“I was told that ‘yung paglinis ng river dito, marami na ring (politicians) nag-attempt maglinis before but hindi rin naman na-sustain,” said Cimatu.
Over a decade ago, DENR warned that the Iloilo River was “dying” due to pollution. In early 2010 the Iloilo River Development Council was formed and the water body’s rehabilitation was commenced. The Council and DENR partnered with the private sector.
Massive cleaning was carried out, including the removal of illegal fish pens, relocation of illegal settlers, dredging, widening of blocked areas, and replanting of mangrove areas.
In November 2010 Iloilo City was cited for best practices in its river development project by the Livcom Awards in Chicago, USA.
Even before the Spanish colonization of the Philippines, the Iloilo River was already a channel of trade. A rich fishing ground, settlements soon sprouted along its banks. The Iloilo River also provided safe anchorage to seagoing vessels.
After Fort San Pedro was established in the 1700s at the mouth of the Iloilo River, additional communities further sprouted along the banks of the river.
In 1855, the rapid economic growth of Iloilo led to the opening of the port of Iloilo to world trade. British and Spanish firms began to crowd the marshy area along Iloilo River. They built warehouses, offices and shops on the streets parallel to the river.
The development however, carried a hefty price. Through the years Iloilo River and its tributaries became the natural sewerage, septic tank and garbage dumpsite of residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional establishments. The Iloilo River’s water quality was adversely affected.
As more informal settlers inhabited the banks, the Iloilo River became heavily silted, contributing further to its degradation./PN
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