San Miguel Corporation (SMC) is close to completing maintenance cleanup along the San Juan River, removing over 116,000 metric tons of waste and silt over the last 10 months to help improve water flow and reduce flood risk in San Juan, Manila, Mandaluyong and Quezon Cities.
This follows SMC’s cleanup of the river from 2022 to 2024, clearing the waterway of about 322,000 metric tons of silt and waste through 7.6 kilometers of its entire stretch.
SMC’s cleanup teams returned in September after monitoring showed a buildup of waste in the river traversing Mandaluyong, Manila and San Juan Cities. To date, 116,157 metric tons of waste and silt have been removed along 6.1 km of its waterway — from the Pasig River junction to Talayan, Quezon City — reflecting SMC’s commitment to preserving the gains of its river rehabilitation effort.
“Regular maintenance clean-ups are a key component of our 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,” said SMC Chairman and CEO Ramon S. Ang.
“At no cost to 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 maintenance cleanup of the San Juan 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 launched its first cleanup effort in the Visayas last month, deploying dredging teams tasked to remove waste and silt from a four-kilometer section of the Butuanon River in Mandaue City, Cebu that has restricted water flow to the Mactan Channel.
Maintenance cleanup operations continue along Tullahan River, removing 177,384 metric tons of debris along a 6.4-km stretch; the Bulacan River System, clearing it of 723,393 metric tons of waste and silt through 13.38 km; and Laguna rivers, where 107,192 metric tons have been cleared from 2 km of waterways.
Meanwhile, rehabilitation work remains in the Parañaque, Las Piñas, Alabang, Tabang, and Tanza river systems, with the overall progress of the river cleanup initiative reaching 201.27 km of river channels and 9.3 million metric tons of waste and silt removed over the last six years.
