DENR leads coastal clean-up across WV

The Community Environment and Natural Resources Offices of Culasi, Antique and the Philippine National Police Maritime Group clean the shores of Barangay Poblacion, Culasi, Antique. DENR-6 PHOTO
The Community Environment and Natural Resources Offices of Culasi, Antique and the Philippine National Police Maritime Group clean the shores of Barangay Poblacion, Culasi, Antique. DENR-6 PHOTO

SAN JOSE, Antique – The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Region 6 and its field offices recently conducted simultaneous coastal clean-up activities to raise awareness on waste management problems in Western Visayas in this typhoon season.

In Antique, the coasts of Barangay Poblacion, Culasi town was cleaned with the help of municipality’s Philippine National Police – Maritime Group and residents who volunteered. They collected a total of four sacks of trash.

According to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, scientists estimate that 50 to 80 percent of the oxygen production on Earth comes from the ocean, thus coastal clean-ups help save ocean biodiversity and mitigate the effects of climate change.

The DENR regional office, Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Offices (PENROs) and Community Environment and Natural Resources Offices (CENROs) in Western Visayas partnered with different stakeholders,  local government units (LGUs) and coastal residents for the annual International Coastal Clean-up (ICC).

ICC is the largest volunteer effort to protect the oceans’ health through picking up litters on beaches, coasts, rivers, waterways and even underwater dive sites and record information on the trash being collected.

This year’s event was celebrated with volunteers observing physical distancing due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

In Iloilo City, the clean-up activity was at the Iloilo Esplanade. Volunteers collected approximately 169.50 kilograms of trash.

In the northwest part of Panay Island, PENRO Aklan held a simultaneous clean-up of waterways and coastal areas. Residents and volunteers were able to gathered approximately 500 kilograms of waste, mostly plastics from food packaging, rubbers, metals, wires and straws.

CENRO Guimbal (Iloilo) was able to conduct the clean-up along the coast of Barangay Buyu-an, Tigbauan, Iloilo and collected a total of 36.4 kilograms of waste. These were disposed properly at the barangay’s Material Recovery Facility.

Meanwhile in the Negros Island, CENRO Bago City partnered with the local government of San Enrique. Seventeen sacks of trash composed mostly of plastics were recovered.

Simultaneous coastal clean-up activities were also conducted in the island of Guimaras collecting approximately 450 kilograms of trash on coastal areas and along Taklong Island National Marine Reserve protected area. (DENR-6/PN)

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