Cebu City eyes rehabilitation for ‘dead rivers’
As the government began efforts to rehabilitate heavily-polluted waters like Manila Bay, the Cebu City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CCENRO) has vowed to do the same for several waterways in the city where the garbage problem has become "intolerable."
According to JP Soriano's report for "24 Oras" on Thursday, Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu has ordered the CCENRO to turn their attention to 10 "dead" rivers in Cebu connected to the Mactan channel where a large amount of garbage has been flowing.
"Lahat ng plastics nandu'n pumunta 'yan sa Mactan Channel," CCENRO officer-in-charge Nida Cabrera said.
Apart from informal settlers living along the river channels, the city government found that several establishments have been dumping garbage directly into the rivers.
"Nakita namin na malaki talaga ang problema in our downstream talagang madami nang contamination. So much more on the downstream ang dami ng coliform. Intolerable na," Cabrera said.
Rivers to be rehabilitated include Lahug River and Guadalupe river where mounds of garbage has evidently been building up.
The initiative was welcomed by residents who can only hope to see the rivers in their area restored to pristine condition. —Margaret Claire Layug/ LDF, GMA News
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