Trash traps installed to save Laguna de Bay

Having been newly accredited as the 18th member of the prestigious world’s living lake network in Russia, the Laguna de Bay will soon get a lot of help with the launching of river trash traps at the Tunasan River, one of the eight tributaries in Muntinlupa City that will stop solid wastes from flowing into the lake.

Mayor Jaime Fresnedi, the Muntinlupa City River Rehabilitation and Protection Foundation (MCRRPF) in coordination with the Lake Management Office, Laguna Lake Development Authority and private sector representatives, installed the first river trash traps at the Tunasan River to drain domestic wastes.

The trash traps will be strategically located in areas where there are settlements along the said river to effectively prevent the influx of garbage into the Laguna Lake.

Fresnedi said by trapping the garbage, it will be easier for environment personnel who will be maintaining the traps to collect the solid wastes.

He said that during heavy rains, the traps can easily be lifted up so as not to impede the flow of water in the river.

The trash traps installed at the Tunasan-Cuyab bridge, is the first of its kind in the whole Laguna de Bay region. During the inauguration, Fresnedi said the project is a major step towards the rehabilitation of the rivers systems and the protection of Laguna Lake.

He also encouraged all sectors of the society to help in the city government’s rehabilitation efforts and in its solid wastes management program, because majority of the rivers’ pollutants are domestic in origin.

The project was cited as a breakthrough since it involved two local government units, the other being Laguna, that shared a common interest in the rehabilitation of Tunasan River.

The municipality of San Pedro, Laguna promised to do a counterpart project to that will install trash traps at the upper portion of the river between Tunasan and San Antonio in Laguna.