THE Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and the Taguig City government on Friday launched a joint cleanup operation at the Hagonoy Creek Retarding Pool as part of government’s preemptive initiative to prevent massive flooding in the metropolis.
MMDA chairman Romando Artes said at least 50 trucks carrying 12 tons each, equivalent to around 600 kilos of trash every year are being collected from the creek situated near the Hagonoy Pumping Station in Taguig.
“Solid waste management is everyone’s responsibility, not the government’s alone. All of us must work together and ensure that waste is properly managed and disposed of to prevent flooding,” Artes stressed.
Instead of disposing their trash properly, Artes said some people opt to do it the easy way by dumping their garbage on waterways.
“It is high time that people break the dumping and cleaning cycle by changing their mindset about managing their waste,” he said.
The MMDA chief appealed to the public to help reduce flooding by avoiding indiscriminate throwing of waste into the streets and waterways.
“A key to effective solid waste management is segregating trash at the source and having effective garbage collection done at the local level,” he said.
Artes said the agency’s massive cleanup drive requires heavy equipment and large manpower.
“While we are boosting our efforts in cleanup operations to mitigate flooding, the public must do their part by observing cleanliness and proper waste disposal.”
Meanwhile, all 71 pumping stations managed by the agency are 100 percent operational and working at full capacity, Artes said.
Taguig City Mayor Laarni Cayetano thanked Artes for personally supervising the cleanup operations, in coordination with the city government.
“The MMDA’s cleanup is not only a seasonal event, but a regular and continuous activity to prevent flooding, not just in Taguig but throughout Metro Manila,” said Cayetano.
She also called on her constituents to be responsible and do their share if they want a flood-free community.
Garbage collected from Hagonoy Creek comes from nine barangays.
Cayetano also urged the residents to cooperate, lamenting that some people even throw big furniture and appliances into the waterways.
“Some people’s irresponsible trash management, which results in flooding, impacts others in the community—students going to school,
workers going to work, and business operations,” Cayetano said.
She added that littering the streets and waterways is against a city ordinance and the offender could be punished.