116,000 tons of trash cleared from San Juan River

San Miguel Corporation (SMC) announced Friday, July 17, that it is nearing completion of its maintenance cleanup of the San Juan River, having removed more than 116,000 metric tons of waste and silt over the past 10 months to improve water flow and reduce flooding in San Juan, Manila, Mandaluyong, and Quezon City. SMC resumed its cleanup of the San Juan River in September after monitoring showed waste had accumulated in the waterway traversing Mandaluyong, Manila, and San Juan. As of now, the company said 116,157 metric tons of waste and silt have been removed along 6.1 kilometers of the waterway, from the Pasig River junction to Talayan, Quezon City. It said this reflects SMC's commitment to preserving the gains of its river rehabilitation efforts. Prior to the current maintenance cleanup, the company removed about 322,000 metric tons of silt and waste from the San Juan River's entire 7.6-kilometer stretch during its 2022–2024 cleanup. SMC Chairman and CEO Ramon S. Ang said regular maintenance cleanups are a key component of the Better Rivers PH initiative. “Even if we have restored rivers to their natural depth, flow, and water-carrying capacity, improper waste disposal can aggravate silt buildup,” Ang said. “At no cost to [the] government and in coordination with local authorities, we will continue to monitor and ensure that these waterways are cleared of obstructions so they can carry floodwaters efficiently, especially during the rainy season,” he added. The cleanup of the river forms part of SMC’s continuing support for the government’s flood mitigation drive, including the Department of Public Works and Highways’ (DPWH) Oplan Kontra Baha, which was launched by President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. last year. In line with that, Better Rivers PH started last month its first cleanup operations in the Visayas, deploying dredging teams to remove waste...