ILOILO City – Sofas and even tricycles are finding their way into Iloilo City’s waterways, underscoring a worsening waste-disposal problem that threatens to clog drainage systems and aggravate flooding during heavy rains.
Mayor Raisa Treñas sounded the alarm after simultaneous declogging operations by the City Government uncovered bulky waste, including sofas, in waterways in the Barangay Sinikway and other areas in La Paz district.
“Eventually, these activities should become a habit among Ilonggos,” Treñas said.
She said the recent operations showed that the waste being dumped into waterways was no longer limited to ordinary household garbage.
“We received a message from the team saying, ‘The things being thrown are unbelievable — a sofa,’” Treñas said while monitoring the operation.
Aside from sofas and other large pieces of waste, there were also reports of tricycles being abandoned or dumped into waterways.
The General Services Office (GSO), Infrastructure and Facility Conservation Office (IFCO), and City Engineer’s Office (CEO) jointly conducted the declogging operations in the Sinikway and La Paz areas.
Treñas stressed that keeping the city’s drainage systems and waterways clear should not be the responsibility of only one department.
“We need the different teams of the City Government and the barangays to work together,” she said, adding that coordinated efforts would allow authorities to cover more drainage systems and waterways.
The mayor called for regular and wider declogging and cleanup operations, stressing that keeping waterways free of garbage is critical to reducing flooding risks.
She also encouraged barangays and communities to sustain their own cleanup drives, particularly the Saturday cleanup activities, which she said are attracting more participants.
“Clean-up and declogging should be done regularly and on a wider scale,” Treñas said, emphasizing the need to make proper waste disposal and community cleanup a regular practice among residents.
Treñas said such activities should eventually become ingrained in the habits of Ilonggos, with residents, barangays and City Government offices sharing responsibility for keeping drainage systems and waterways clear./PN
