ILOILO City – The Iloilo River here, the Jalaur River in Iloilo province and the Hamulauon River in Capiz are among the Philippine rivers contributing to ocean plastic pollution, a study of Rotterdam-based Ocean Cleanup showed.
Ocean Cleanup is a nonprofit engineering environmental organization developing advanced technologies to rid the oceans of plastic. It also conducts scientific research into oceanic plastic pollution.
A recent study, published in April, revealed that 28 percent of the rivers in the Philippines are responsible for ocean plastic pollution.
Ocean Cleanup specifically identified Pasig River along with 18 other rivers in the country as among the top 50 polluting rivers in the world.
Pasig River was identified as the most polluted by plastics.
The study further showed that of the 1,656 rivers monitored worldwide, 466 were in the Philippines and found to be responsible for 80 percent of ocean plastic pollution. More than 356,371 metric tons of plastic wastes in a year are dumped into the ocean through the rivers.
The Iloilo River in this southern city is an estuary – an arm of the sea – which now an attraction due to kilometer-long esplanades built on its banks
Over a decade ago, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) warned that the Iloilo River was “dying” due to pollution.
In early 2010 the Iloilo River Development Council was formed and the water body’s rehabilitation was commenced. The Council and DENR partnered with the private sector. Massive cleaning was carried out, including the removal of illegal fish pens, relocation of illegal settlers, dredging, widening of blocked areas, and replanting of mangrove areas.
In November 2010 Iloilo City was cited for best practices in its river development project by the Livcom Awards in Chicago, United States.
Even before the Spanish colonization of the Philippines, the Iloilo River was already a channel of trade. A rich fishing ground, settlements soon sprouted along its banks.
The Iloilo River also provided safe anchorage to seagoing vessels.
After Fort San Pedro was established in the 1700s at the mouth of the Iloilo River, additional communities further sprouted along the banks of the river.
In 1855, the rapid economic growth of Iloilo led to the opening of the port of Iloilo to world trade. British and Spanish firms began to crowd the marshy area along Iloilo River. They built warehouses, offices and shops on the streets parallel to the river.
The development, however, carried a hefty price. Through the years Iloilo River and its tributaries became the natural sewerage, septic tank and garbage dumpsite of residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional establishments.
The Iloilo River’s water quality was adversely affected. As more informal settlers inhabited the banks, the Iloilo River became heavily silted, contributing further to its degradation.
On the other hand, the Jalaur River, also known as Jalaud River, is the second longest river in Panay Island and the second largest by drainage basin. Only Panay River in Capiz has the longest and the largest river system in Panay.
Jalaur River ranked as the 17th largest river system in the Philippines in terms of drainage basin size. It has an estimated drainage area of 1,503 square kilometers and travels 123 kilometers from its source to its mouth in the Guimaras Strait.
It drains the eastern portion of Panay Island and traverses through Passi City and the towns of Calinog, Dueñas, San Enrique, Dingle, Pototan, Barotac Nuevo, Dumangas, Zarraga, and Leganes.
The river is of great economic importance to the province of Iloilo. It provides irrigation to farmlands as well as a source of potable water.
The lower reaches of the Jalaur River experiences seasonal flooding. When there is heavy downpour, during the months of June to September, the river overflows and floods the surrounding area.
The Hamulauon River, on the other hand, is located in Barangay Jamul-awon, Panay, Capiz. It is the largest outlet of the Panay River system and creates a bay called Tinagong Dagat. Its estimated terrain elevation above sea level is 254 meters.
Other rivers in the Philippines that dump the most volume of trash and plastic into the ocean are the Tullahan, Meycauayan, Pampanga, Libmanan, Rio de Grande de Mindanao, Agno, Agusan, Parañaque, Imus, Zapote, Cagayan de Oro, Davao, Malaking Tubig, Tambo, Pasay, and Cagayan./PN
