By JONG CADION
Zamboanga
City – You can witness now the free flowing of waters in Vitali
River
after the whole day clean-up drive conducted on or about 8:30 early morning,
September 22, 2012 to address the deteriorated condition of the river.
The
clean-up drive of the river was conducted simultaneously nationwide
in
line with the campaign launched by the Department of Environment and Natural
Resources (DENR) Adopt-an-Estero/River program.
The
activities were participated by some residents and students, Barangay LGUs
officials spearheaded by the Barangay Chairman Jose Alavar together with the
NGO partner, ATRO Mining-Vitali Incorporated headed by the
Resident
Manager Engineer Phil Nepomoceno and some DENR personnel led
by
no less than the Regional Technical Director Sixto Tolentino, Jr. of the Environmental
Management Bureau (EMB).
The
clean-up activities is also in line with the implementation of ‘Adopt an
Estero/River’ as agreed in the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) duly signed by the
Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) Region 9, ATRO MINING-VITALI INC. and the
LGU officials of Barangay Vitali.
Vitali
River has more or less 10 kilometers long located 90 kilometers east from
Zamboanga City that supplies the water irrigation canal to support the more or
less 100 hectares of rice field and more than 1,200 hectares of fishpond in the
area.
The
Vitali River is now breathing back again after some sediments and garbage clogged
from the waterways were removed through Bayanihan effort system.
Vitali
Barangay Chairman Alavar expressed his gratitude to the ATRO
Mining-Vitali
Inc., in helping resolving their problem through their backhoe and other heavy
equipment in conducting dredging the river.
 |
(From
left) Regional Technical Director Sixto
Tolentino,Jr.
of the Environmental Management
Bureau
(EMB) and Vitali Barangay chairman
Jose
Alavar supervisethe clean-up (Photo by
JONG CADION)
|
“Sa
palagay ko umaabot na sa mahigit 50 na taon hindi nalinisan ang ilog
ng
Vitali, I think almost 50 years now the river was not cleaned-up,” Brgy.
Chairman
Alavas said.
Now,
with the agreement with the NGO partner through the ATRO the flooding due to
the overflowing of water from Vitali River is no longer a problem, Alavar
disclosed.
EMB
Regional Technical Director Tolentino said, the cleaning of the water ways of
Vitali River and some esteros will become a regular activities by the people in
Vitali as agreed in the MOA, and on October 5 will be the evaluation of the
activities so that any problem encountered during the clean-up drive will be
addressed and improved to sustain the activities tomaintain the healthy
environment in the barangay.
From
the National undertakings, under the leadership of Secretary Ramon Paje, the
DENR had much success in their “Adopt an Estero/River” Program. Right now, they
are working with 272 different partners from the private sector who have
adopted 186 different bodies of water. These partnerships from the private
sector have agreed to be guardians, so to speak—fulfilling an important role in
reducing water pollution, increasing dredging activities, and preserving our
rivers and esteros.
 |
(From right) ATRO Mining-Vitali Incorporated
headed by the Resident
Engineer Phil Manager
Nepomoceno together with Environmental
Management Bureau (EMB) Regional Technical
Director Sixto Tolentino, Jr. were
interview by
the media covering the clean-up. (Photo by J.
Cadion)
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