The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority announced on Tuesday it had temporarily suspended the operation of the Pasig River Ferry system due to the carpet of water lilies and other aquatic plants that are clogging the river.
“Due to water hyacinths, the operations of the Pasig River Ferry System was suspended since Saturday until further notice,” said MMDA chief information officer Sharon Gentalian in a Viber group message to reporters.
The water lilies that clog the river during the rainy season have long been the problem affecting the operation of the ferry system since the time of then MMDA chairman and now Senator Francis Tolentino, who initiated the revival of the system.
MMDA officials say water lilies entangle the ferry’s propeller, preventing the boats from traveling at normal speed. The propellers have to be elevated so that the tangled water lilies and even pieces of trash can be removed.
The MMDA revived the Pasig River system in 2014 to decongest Metro Manila’s major roads affected by the road construction projects of the government. The program also aimed to boost Metro Manila’s tourism and can be used for disaster and rescue purposes as well.
Reports showed that the government stopped the Pasig River Ferry operations in 2011 following complaints from passengers about the long waiting time at the terminals and the river’s foul smell.
It also showed that 65% of the pollution in the Pasig River was caused by household waste, 30% from industrial waste, and 5% from solid waste coming from the squatters living along the river.
The MMDA recently reopened two stations of the ferry system in Hulo and Sta. Ana to serve residents in the cities of Mandaluyong and Manila. The six other ferry stations are Pinagbuhatan and San Joaquin in Pasig City; Guadalupe and Valenzuela in Makati City; and Lawton and Escolta, also in Maynila.
At present, the ferry system serves authorized persons outside residence (APOR), health workers and government employees who need to report for work free of charge from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. while the general community quarantine status is being enforced in the National Capital Region.