EDITORIAL - Trash in the rivers

The different local government units of Cebu regularly carry out cleanups of their respective rivers. The latest one conducted in Cebu City showed two disturbing things.

The first thing is that our rivers contain abnormally large amounts of trash, in the latest cleanup an estimated 12 tons of it was pulled out. We are sure there are even more tons of garbage still out there in areas usually out of reach.

The second thing is that many people have no qualms about using rivers as their own personal dumping ground.

Ways must be found to stop people from dumping their trash in the rivers.

Educating people about what a waterway is and what nature designed it to do might help. Perhaps some people don’t realize that rivers are nature’s way of moving water away from deep inland to the sea. It’s not supposed to be obstructed or turned into anything else deviating from the way nature designed.

One reason why we continue to experience floods is because some sections of our waterways and rivers have become so clogged and obstructed they cannot hold the volume of water they usually receive.

Also, it’s no longer just about a river becoming clogged.

If too much trash is thrown it’s not just about a river’s path becoming blocked anymore. It’s also about that river turning into a health hazard, a cesspool. A filthy, dirty, disgusting place that can no longer support life but may even be hostile to it.

A dirty river becomes more than just a threat to the natural inhabitants of the river --if any are still left-- the danger may spread to the communities around it as well in the form of pests, vermin, or even disease.

Trash must be kept away from our rivers. Whether it’s in educating people or, if that fails, building walls or fences, or posting guards in strategic areas to prevent dumping. Other ideas are also welcome.