INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
TACLOBAN CITY – A lone river in Catbalogan City, Samar will finally be rehabilitated to restore its glory.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has signed an agreement with 98 government agencies, private groups, and civil society organizations to carry out a five-year rehabilitation of the Antiao River.
The partnership, sealed on Sept. 7, will carry out a solid waste management program in 18 villages near the river, which spans more than 4.08 kilometers, covering 18 barangays.
These programs include the establishment of a functional materials recovery facility in every village along the main river and a central materials recovery facility for the collection and proper disposal of special hazardous wastes.
READ: 200 houses for ex-rebels to rise in Northern Samar
Under the agreement, a trust fund will also be created from the contributions of partner organizations and other funding sources.
Monthly clean-up will also be conducted as part of the five-year rehabilitation plan while water sampling will also be done on a regular basis.
DENR executive regional director Lormelyn Claudio called for the enforcement of legal easement pursuant to the Water Code of the Philippines to prevent further pollution of the river.
“Rehabilitation of the river or dealing with solid and hazardous wastes management is not only the responsibility of the DENR, local government(s), and the barangays, but also of everyone,” she said.
In September, about 2,000 individuals, representing the 98 various organizations and government agencies, conducted a clean-up drive along Antiao River.
There was no data yet as to how much wastes were collected during the activity, which was part of the DENR’s “Adopt an Estero” program.
Antiao River is the only river in Catbalogan City, the capital of Samar province. The water that flows in the river comes from the Antiao watershed, according to the research conducted by Samar State University.
The campaign to rehabilitate the Antiao River started in 2018 as part of the Catbalogan City government’s “Bring Back the Wow of Antiao River Rehabilitation Master Plan” campaign.
READ: 3 bays in Samar placed on red tide alert
In February 2013, the Department of Public Works and Highways reported that it funded P75 million for the rehabilitation of the river.
But bad weather and questions on the road right of way hindered its completion.
The DENR expects to see significant improvement of the river’s condition by 2027.
It will also enforce environmental laws such as Establishing an Environmental Impact Statement System, Ecological Solid Waste Act, the Philippine Clean Water Act, Toxic Substances and Hazardous and Nuclear Wastes Control Act and other relevant laws, rules and regulations.