The greening of Pasig River
MANILA, Philippines – “Pretty Pasig, pretty river. Wear your best bouquets. Happy morning, dawning, give her all your brightest rays….” goes a rhyme that Dr. Jose Rizal wrote for a play titled “Along the Pasig.”
Such was the Pasig River of the past. Early poets were obviously enchanted by the beauty of the Pasig River so that they lavishly accorded it with verses.
Today one wonders what those poets were referring to when they wrote those verses. Pasig River, with its polluted waters and decaying riverside communities, evokes very little of that romantic era.
In spite of massive funding and the involvement of many organizations working for many years for the river’s rehabilitation, there seems to be so much more that needs to be done.
Major obstacle
For a start, we need to remove a major obstacle to its successful rehabilitation, namely, public apathy. This is the cold indifference of the public about Pasig River and everything that it stands for. All the money in the world and best intentions will simply go to waste if the people themselves who will benefit from it will not get involved.
Government alone cannot do all the work. The private sector needs to come in and be an active partner in the river’s development. This is the pattern in many successful river rehabilitation projects worldwide.
This is also the message of the present agency, the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission which is tasked to lead the development of a strategic plan for Phase 2. The World Bank will be helping PRRC in putting together Phase 2 of the rehabilitation efforts on the Pasig River.
Who will benefit from its rehabilitation?
A successfully rehabilitated Pasig River will be of great benefit not only to the business and residential communities along the river bank but also for the eight cities and three municipalities along its 27-kilometer span from Laguna de Bay to the Manila Bay.
On a wider scale, the country also stands to gain as it proudly claims ownership of a vital ecosystem and an irreplaceable natural resource.
Outstanding examples
Some of the best examples of successful river projects are the Thames River in London, which is considered one of the cleanest in the world. Others would be the Cheonggyecheon River in Seoul, Korea, and Tokyo Bay, Japan.
If it is any consolation, most of these projects also started with much-polluted waters and solid waste problems. Eventually, with dedication and strong political will, they managed to overcome the attendant problems of river rehabilitation.
One reader of this column, Mr. J. Valdes, has this to say about Pasig River. He suggests privatizing the river (front) as had been done for SLEX, NLEX and the inner city railways, then dividing the river into 4-kilometer sections for bidding out to businesses that have shown creativity and success in other privatization efforts. Taxes will have to be determined by government and residents who cannot afford to pay these taxes will have to move to inner sections of the city.
What is meant by successful river rehabilitation?
Despite the worldwide appreciation for the ecological and social benefits of river rehabilitation, there is still no agreement or internationally accepted standard on what constitutes a successful river rehabilitation.
The University of Maryland, College Park, USA proposes five criteria for measuring success:
- First, the design of the river rehabilitation must be based on a specific guiding image of a healthy river that could exist at the site.
- Second, the river’s ecological condition must be measurably improved.
- Third, the river system must be self-sustaining to allow for minimal follow-up maintenance.
- Fourth, during the construction phase, no lasting harm should be inflicted on the ecosystem.
- Fifth, before and after assessment must be completed and data made publicly available.
According to the study, conservation of rivers prior to their degradation should still be the greater priority. Where conservation has failed and crucial ecological services are diminished, restoration that is “ecologically” sound should be the option of choice.
Saving the Pasig River
Based on a study by the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission (2001), they suggest the following to save a dying Pasig River: a strong political will; integration of environmental education in all subject matters in schools; creation of a system of waste minimization; relocation of informal settlers along the river easement; implementation of pollution controls for industries; regular monitoring of the river surroundings.
Lessons learned
According to the Habitat International Coalition, based on the work of 10 years on the river, the Pasig River rehabilitation work showed the following: distant relocation of informal settlers along the river bank is never worked well. While working for land and housing, their study also showed that food, health and the education of the children are not properly addressed in relocation areas. The rehabilitation program should be suited to the unique circumstances and culture of the people. Some politicians are difficult to deal with, while there are other governments officials who sincerely want to help.
The Japanese word for firefly connotes harmony between man and all other creatures. Fireflies have become the cultural symbol for river protection and environmental conservation in Japan. Long ago people enjoyed fishing, watching fireflies and listening to bird song by the clean rivers.
With industrialization and the accompanying pollution, people began to think how to bring back birds and fireflies. The river protection program in Japan has brought about an increase in the population of fireflies. In June 1981 the first Firefly Festival raised awareness of the river rehabilitation project which attracted donations from companies and organizations.
The festival changed people’s values and attitudes toward river protection. The clean river movement resulted in the upgrading of the river habitat and also the return of bird song.
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