Experts Ranks Pasig River Among Plastic Polluter Rivers in the World
The Pasig River leads the plastic polluter of all rivers in the world based on a study by the Netherlands-based group.
The Ocean Cleanup, a Netherlands-based initiative, determined that the 27-kilometer Pasig River is the source of 63,000 tons of plastic dumped into the sea each year, according to the Philippines’ Climate Change Commission. According to the report, the Philippines is home to 28% of the rivers that pollute the ocean with plastic.
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Out of 1,656 rivers, the Philippines had 466 that accounted for roughly 80% of plastic imports into the ocean. Because of the river’s delayed repair, presidential spokesman Harry Roque labeled it a “badge of dishonor.”
“We used to have a commission just on Pasig River but nothing happened,” Roque stressed in a media briefing.
“I’m hoping that with this badge of dishonor, maybe the steps our government will take to clean that Pasig River once and for all will also be radical,” Roque said.
In November 2019, President Rodrigo Duterte disbanded the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission, which was tasked with restoring the Pasig River to its “historically pristine condition conducive to transportation, recreation, and tourism.”
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), and San Miguel Corporation began filtering 600,000 metric tons of garbage every year from the Pasig River on June 8.
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