Concerted nationwide water clean-up slated next month

Environmental Management Bureau is inviting all sectors to join next month’s concerted clean-up of waterways and water bodies nationwide.
This is intended to help save these from further pollution, declining carrying capacity and flood-causing overspills.
“We’re urging everyone to support the activity,” EMB-National Capital Region Dir. Vizminda Osorio announced Friday during the 2012 forum for partners of the agency’s Adopt an Estero/Water Body program.
The clean-up is scheduled on Oct. 6 this year, she said.
“That activity will also support nationwide celebration of the 27th International Coastal Clean-Up Day,” said EMB information chief Ellen Basug.
Such celebration is traditionally undertaken in September but, this year, she said the environment department moved it to early October.
EMB hopes the activity will help further raise public awareness about and action on cleaning up waterways and water bodies.
Authorities earlier pointed out such clean-up activities help protect the environment, address flow of garbage and other pollutants into coastal and marine waters, prevent spread of diseases and raise communities’ resilience to climate change.
EMB is advising the activity’s participants to coordinate with respective ‘barangay’ governments regarding the matter to facilitate cleaning up waterways and water bodies near them.
Earlier, EMB said it’ll request from the participants reports about respective clean-up activities undertaken.
“The reports will help us monitor progress on cleaning up waterways and water bodies nationwide,” Basug said.
Among data EMB expects to see in each report are location of the activity, number of sacks containing waste collected and number of people who undertook the task.
Submission of before-and-after pictures of the waterways and water bodies as well as five-minute video clips of the clean-up activities will be most welcome, EMB noted.
Such materials and the reports must be emailed toadoptestero@gmail.com on or before Oct. 19 this year, Basug said.
EMB noted its regional offices must be furnished the same information. [PNA]