San Miguel Corporation plans to accelerate its dredging operations at the Tullahan-Tinajeros River System in the first two quarters of the year, before the rainy season sets in, to help reduce flooding in the areas near the 27 kilometer tributary stretching from La Mesa Dam to Manila Bay.
SMC president and chief operating officer Ramon S. Ang said the company was able to extract 83,600 metric tons of silt and solid waste from the river in 2020, despite the limitations brought on by the Luzon- wide lockdown due to the COVID- 19 pandemic. The dredging complemented the flood mitigation measures implemented by the cities of Navotas and Malabon.
“We extract about 600 metric tons of waste daily from the Tullahan, and at this rate, we expect to extract 100,000 metric tons in a month’s time. The relatively dry months of January to May gives us an opportunity to intensify the cleaning, deepening and widening of the river so that more areas can avoid flooding during the rainy season,” Ang said.
Launched together with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in early 2020, the project is a P1-billion corporate social responsibility initiative of SMC to help address the flooding in parts of Metro Manila and Bulacan. SMC resumed the P1- billion dredging project in June following the lifting of strict quarantine restrictions.