Pasig River ferry resumes short trips

MANILA, Philippines — The Pasig River ferry service resumed short distance trips yesterday after some of its routes were cleared of water hyacinths.

The ferry service will operate short distance trips from Pinagbuhatan in Pasig to Sta. Ana in Manila, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said.

The MMDA said it continues to remove water hyacinths from the Pasig River using a trash skimmer, backhoes, boats and trash trap.

In an interview on dzBB, Hazel May Pajotagana, chief financial officer of HiGi Energy, said invasive weeds such as water hyacinth could be converted into charcoal.

She said the company sells charcoal briquettes made of dried up and carbonized water hyacinths, which have high energy content.

While half a kilo of regular charcoal could last for 30 minutes, half a kilo of charcoal briquette could last up to three hours, Pajotagana said.

She said the company engages communities in drying up water hyacinths and burning these in a drum carbonizer to be used as material for shaping charcoal briquettes.

The briquettes are used in Korean buffet restaurants, she added.

The MMDA has yet to do a study on sustainable ways to recycle water hyacinths, which in the past were thrown in landfills, Pasig River ferry service administrator Irene Navera said.

MMDA spokesperson Celine Pialago said water hyacinths are free for local government units and non-government organizations to pick up and use for their livelihood programs.