The Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission has signed an agreement with Cypher Odin, a homegrown blockchain firm, for the sharing and exchanging data vital to the resurrection of the 25-kilometer long river to its glory using blockchain technology.
Cypher Odin chief executive officer Mariano Villafuerte IV said using distributed ledger technology would return the once glorious Pasig River to its former splendor—where people could swim, spend time with their families, fish for a livelihood, dine with friends, travel around the metro, and even hold wedding ceremonies.
“There are so many opportunities in this river. You would never even imagine that jumping in the water with your mouth open is a possibility—but it can be a reality. Just like how the River Thames in the UK was recovered from being dead, now they have dolphins, turtles, and fish. France did an excellent job with the River Seine and also in South Korea in the Cheonggyecheon River,” said Villafuerte.
He added “It is possible to have a new Pasig River. A river that can rival the beauty of similar areas in Hong Kong or Singapore—built around the story of a comeback. That’s good news that can inspire a nation.”
The River Thames, in the center of London, is the cleanest river in the world that flows through a major city.
This is seen as significant since 50 years ago the river was so polluted it was declared biologically dead.
From 1830 to 1860 tens of thousands of people died of cholera as a result of the pollution in the Thames. Today, the longest river in England is so clean, dolphins can be seen swimming in their waters.
Under the agreement, the PRRC and Cypher Odin plan to cooperate within the framework of their respective mandates and authority in the implementation of activities.
Aside from linking both their networks, the parties also agree to meet regularly and identify problem areas while providing solutions.
To effectively monitor the amount of garbage, mainly plastic that saturates Pasig River, Villafuerte plans to deploy modern Internet of Things (IoT) and Internet of Underwater Things (IoUT) devices to monitor the water quality, tide levels, and other relevant data points.
The access to significant data under a trusted, peer to peer and inter-agency platform is a significant use-case for blockchain as it will be able to provide more accountability, transparency, and consistency among all stakeholders and reduce barriers of entry towards the recovery of the river.
In addition, Cypher Odin is launching a cryptocurrency called BOTcoin to reward communities and companies along the river to help in the cleanup.
Villafuerte believes that creating incentives and rewarding people to stop polluting the river is the best way to quickly bring about changing the hearts and minds of the people.