Japanese coop leads Butuanon River rehab

The Kitakyushu International Techno-cooperative Association of Japan will take the lead in the rehabilitation of the Butuanon River in the cities of Cebu and Mandaue. The rehabilitation would be similar to the revival of the Murasaki River in Japan.

A memorandum of agreement was signed yesterday by KITA headed by its director, Hideo Naito and its funding agency, AEON Foundation of Japan with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the city government of Cebu, the Mandaue City based non-government organization, Citizens' League for Ecological Awareness and Responsibility, National Environment Action Team of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines and other cooperating organizations.

The groups held yesterday a symposium entitled "Protecting Riverbanks through Tree-Planting" which advocates the planting of trees along riverbanks as a more viable means of protecting the riverbanks from erosion, contributing to an improving the recharge of aquifer and reviving the river's life forms. - Gregg M. Rubio