River cleanup helps curb floods, but garbage remains a problem

MANILA, Philippines — Diversified conglomerate San Miguel Corp. (SMC) pointed to improperly disposed waste as a significant contributor to localized flooding, saying that while cleaning up rivers helps mitigate floods, it is not enough.

SMC reported no major incidents of river overflow in most areas covered by its cleanup program, except along portions of the San Juan River on Aug. 17, when exceptionally heavy rainfall pushed water levels beyond critical levels.

SMC chairman and CEO Ramon Ang said rivers under the company’s long-running Better Rivers PH initiative handled higher volumes of rainwater better due to increased carrying capacity and improved flow.

Since 2020, SMC has removed accumulated silt, waste and other obstructions from major waterways, deepening and widening critical sections and conducting regular maintenance cleanups at no cost to the government.

Its Better Rivers PH has so far removed more than 9.39 million metric tons of silt and waste from over 204 kilometers of waterways across Metro Manila, Bulacan and Laguna.

The program has also expanded to the Visayas with the cleanup of the Butuanon River in Mandaue City, Cebu.

Better Rivers PH has likewise aligned with the government’s Oplan Kontra Baha, a broader flood-mitigation effort led by the Department of Public Works and Highways and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, with other national agencies, local governments and the private sector.

Ang, however, said that cleaning up rivers is only part of a bigger set of solutions for floods.

“The whole system has to work, from our drains and creeks to pumping stations, flood-control infrastructure and the major rivers that carry the water downstream,” Ang said.

“We also have a role to play. Better-flowing rivers can move floodwaters out more quickly, but water still has to reach those rivers. We need to keep garbage out of our drains and waterways,” he added.

Ang said the recent rains highlighted the difference between river flooding, which occurs when rivers overflow their banks, and localized drainage flooding, which can occur when intense rainfall overwhelms or cannot move efficiently through storm drains, canals, creeks and pipes because of blockages or inadequate drainage capacity.

According to SMC, improperly disposed waste remains a significant contributor to localized flooding because it could clog drains, creeks and smaller waterways that carry stormwater toward major rivers.