MINDANAO PAGADIAN FRONTLINE: Vitali River is now breathing back following the clean-up drive

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.