DPWH wants Manila Bay dredging over by July

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said on Wednesday said that it wanted to finish dredging a 1.5-kilometer-long portion of Manila Bay by July in time for the rainy season.

According to Public Works Undersecretary Emil Sadain, the deployment of two more heavy-duty amphibious dredging machines will help fast-track the DPWH’s efforts to remove debris, plastics and other solid waste from the section of the bay between the US Embassy and Manila Yacht Club in Malate.

The DPWH earlier said that work on the bay would be divided into five sectors, each one lasting up to 120 days.

Since dredging began last month, “improvements” have been observed in the bay, Sadain noted, adding that the DPWH has so far removed an estimated 18,000 cubic meters of muck and silt.

He said that water tests conducted by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources also showed that the average amount of dissolved oxygen in the bay had improved to a level that would allow aquatic life.