MANILA: Philippine officials are hoping for closer cooperation with an Abu Dhabi-based organization to clear the Pasig waterway — the world’s most polluting river — following a delegation visit from the UAE to Manila last week.
The Pasig River, which runs through the heart of the Philippine capital, was ranked as the most polluting river out of over 1,600 others around the world in a 2021 study published in the Science Advances journal.
The Philippines is also the largest contributor of plastic waste that ends up in the world’s oceans, emitting more than 356,000 metric tons annually — around 63,000 of which came from the Pasig River.
Clean Rivers, a UAE-based nonprofit working on tackling plastic pollution, was in Manila last week to meet officials working on the Pasig River Urban Development project, which was established in 2023 to clear and revive the vital waterway.
“I think we need more assistance, more help in cleaning the river, because it’s embarrassing,” Michael Gisod, director of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, told Arab News.
“Statistically speaking, we are one of the contributors to the plastic in the open waters … We will be minimizing the trash that goes to the Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean and it will affect greatly the marine ecosystem … because apparently, our marine resources like the fish are found to have traces of microplastic and we have to address that.”
Gisod is hopeful of partnering with Clean Rivers to achieve PRUD’s goal, adding that the organization can provide support for Philippine authorities across different aspects.
“They can provide sewerage treatment plans. They can provide funding for dredging activities. They can provide water technology equipment, they can provide solid waste management activities, maybe soft or hard infrastructure. There’s a lot they can do to help us,” he said.
The Clean Rivers delegation also met with First Lady Liza Marcos during their trip, as officials gave them a tour of the Pasig River to get an overview of its issues and challenges.
The visit is a “big boost” to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s ongoing campaign to clean and revive the Pasig River, said Kathryn Yu-Pimentel, special envoy to the UAE for trade and investment.
“We need to get as many organizations as possible on board to help us in the Pasig River Urban Development. I am hopeful that UAE-based Clean Rivers will help us in this endeavor,” Yu-Pimentel said in a statement.
She said Clean Rivers has been “instrumental” in initiating and supporting global river rehabilitation projects, as the Philippines also looks to other success stories as inspiration, including the rehabilitation of France’s Seine River and Thailand’s Chao Phraya River.
“These success stories and the global initiatives led by Clean Rivers are an inspiration to the Marcos administration,” she said. “It gives us hope that even the most polluted rivers can be revived. We have been longing to see the Pasig River thriving once more.”
