SEVERAL local government units (LGUs) and
government agencies led by the Department of Environment and
Natural Resources (DENR) have pledged to work for the
rehabilitation of the Marilao-Meycauayan-Obando (MMO) river
system which has gained notoriety as one of the 30 dirtiest
rivers in the world.
In declaring the MMO river as a water quality
management area, DENR Secretary Lito Atienza said an integrated
action program will be implemented to guarantee the waterway's
rehabilitation. "The declaration will inspire collective efforts
that would synergize the river cleanup of heavy metals and
organic pollution," Atienza said.
The 55-kilometer MMO river system traverses
the cities of Caloocan, Valenzuela and Malabon; San Jose del
Monte, Meycauayan, Marilao, Obando and Sta. Maria in Bulacan. It
gained dubious fame when the New York-based Blacksmith
Institute, an environmental watchdog, included it among the 30
most polluted areas in the world.
Atienza said the work of reviving MMO will be
a joint chore of the DENR and the LGUs in Bulacan. He said a
governing body will be crated composed of himself as chairman,
representatives of the towns and cities along the length of the
river system, the governor of Bulacan, DENR directors for NCR
and Region 3, and the Laguna Lake Development Authority and
Metropolitan Manila Development Authority heads.
So far, the governor of Bulacan and the mayors of Marilao,
Sta. Maria, San Jose del Monte, Meycauayan, Caloocan and the
vice mayor of Obando have already pledged to support the
project. - Job T. Realubit
