The Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission’s (PRRC) Task Force Water Hyacinth has removed over 4,120 sacks of water hyacinth from the Pasig River.
According to the Task Force, the new skimmer boat improved the collection capacity of their operations.
“Based on our operations so far, we collect an average of 500 sacks of water hyacinths,” shared Task Force team leader Niño Gutierrez.
The removal of water hyacinth and other solid waste along the Pasig River has kept the river navigable for vessels and ferry services.
For the past two years, in the absence of a skimmer boat and appropriate funds for water hyacinth clearing operations, PRRC Executive Director Jose Antonio E. Goitia had to personally pay for the rental of tug boats just to clear carpets of water hyacinths across the Pasig River.
“Water hyacinth proliferation is no longer a problem in the Pasig River. It’s a natural phenomenon that can be managed as shown by the operation results of our Task Force,” said Goitia.
“This year, we received no complaint that vessels could not pass the river because of the water hyacinths. Our hard work has paid off,” he added.
A 2008 study revealed that one water hyacinth can quickly reproduce and increase to a population of 750 within days.
DENR Secretary Roy A. Cimatu said that they are still observing and monitoring the efficiency of the skimmer boats.
“We plan to add more machines for the Pasig River and Laguna Lake, etc. if the Task Force will find the skimmer boat cost-effective,” said Cimatu.