MANILA, Philippines—Environmental groups have called on the Marikina city government to clean up the Nangka riverside of garbage and debris from Tropical Storm “Ondoy” (international codename: Ketsana).

In a statement issued yesterday, EcoWaste Coalition said the dumping on the riverside was not only a violation of the country’s environmental laws, it would eventually choke the river.

The group said the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) confirmed the riverside dumping in an Oct. 28 report.

“Findings revealed that the natural flow of the Nangka River is now impaired due to accumulated mud and construction debris which obstruct the free flow of water downstream,” said Roberto Sheen, officer in charge of the DENR-National Capital Region (NCR).
The report, prepared by Raymond Jose and Edgardo Baldedara of the DENR-NCR, recommended that the Marikina city government “immediately institute mitigating measures towards the removal of barriers which obstruct the free flow of the Nangka River.”

A 50-meter portion of the Nangka River has been reduced to three meters, the DENR report said, because of the mud and debris dumped on the Marikina side of the river.

The decision to dump the mud and debris on the side of the river was “made by the higher authorities of the city as well as the chief of the MMDA (Metropolitan Manila Development Authority),” in order to clear Balimbing Street, a Barangay Nangka official told DENR investigators, according to the report.

A dike of mud 50 meters long and three meters high has risen along Balimbing Street beside the river.

“Based on the above findings, it is feared that if the dumping of mud along the riverside will continue and if the dike of mud will not be removed in the sites sooner, it will eventually go to the river, especially during rainy days, resulting in obstruction of the free flow of water downstream,” the DENR report said.

“(Marikina) Mayor (Marides) Fernando and MMDA Chair (Bayani) Fernando should act swiftly to rid the Nangka River of dumped mud and trash. Protecting our rivers is an essential mitigation that has to be pursued amid threats of more frequent and intense weather events due to climate change,” said Beau Baconguis, Greenpeace Southeast Asia Toxics campaigner.

Manny Calonzo, president of EcoWaste Coalition, hailed the DENR report as a “victory for Mother Earth which could not have happened if not for the vigilance and perseverance of Buklod Tao and the community residents to assert their right to a safe environment.”

On Oct. 12, Buklod Tao, EcoWaste Coalition, Greenpeace and 23 other groups sent a letter-complaint to Environment Secretary Lito Atienza, Mayor Fernando and Barangay Nangka Chair Philip Urrutia denouncing the dumping of debris and trash into the Nangka River and asking the officials to clean it up. They said dumping constitutes a blatant violation of the Clean Water Act and the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act.

On Oct. 16, the groups held a protest action beside the Nangka River to expose the dumping. They put up banners urging the government to stop the dumping and to protect the river.