Massive cleanup efforts of Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the provincial government of Bulacan resulted in the removal of accumulated solid waste and water hyacinths that pollute Calumpit River.
DENR Regional Executive Director Paquito Moreno Jr. said the river rehabilitation initiative that began on December 2021 involved trash trap installation and daily cleanup and patrolling of estero rangers, where more than 1.2 million kilos of wastes were collected.
“Desilting and grubbing activities were also done to fast track the hauling of submerged garbage that clogged waterways and caused flooding incidence during rainy season,” he added.
The first phase of the cleanup project transpires in the 1.5-kilometer stretch of the Calumpit River covering barangays Sapang Bayan, Gatbuca, Frances, and Poblacion.
Calumpit River is a tributary of the larger Pampanga River.
The town itself serves as a natural catch basin for floodwaters coming from Pampanga and Nueva Ecija. (PIA 3)
