Dredge Pasig River, too

I fully support the government’s efforts to clean up Manila Bay. I think the dredging of the polluted soil in the bay is a good idea. But can I suggest dredging the Pasig River as well?

I admit I am no authority on the matter, since this is an engineering issue and I am a history teacher. But the Pasig River drains the waste of perhaps 6 million people, and carries the filth of countless factories and oil refineries.

This has happened for decades now, so the soil underneath it must be thoroughly polluted.

There is an added benefit of the river dredging. The Marikina and San Juan rivers, and Laguna de Bay, all flow into the Pasig River. When it rains hard, these waterways flood, and since the Pasig River is shallow, it takes a long time for the river to discharge the excess rainwater.

If the Pasig River was dredged and deepened, the waterways draining into it could dump their water faster into Manila Bay. It would not eliminate flooding, but it would bring down the level of floods faster.

JONATHAN FOE, [email protected]