The Department of the Environment and Natural Resources has entered into an agreement with the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission to plant mangroves along a 19-kilometer stretch of the Pasig River.
According to the Philippine Information Agency, the mangroves will be planted along the banks of the Pasig from C-5 Road in Pasig City to the mouth of Manila Bay.
The mangroves will be planted along that stretch because it is more visible to people, and is meant to remind them of the importance of keeping waterways clean, Environment Secretary Ramon Paje said. The project will also include the construction linear parks along the riverbanks.
The project will be part of the country’s National Greening Program, which aims to plant 1.5 billion trees on 1.5 million hectares across the country by 2016.
“Aside from the obvious benefits we get from mangroves as trees, this greening project is a step toward reviving the Pasig River by improving its water quality and making it viable for more life forms to survive in it,” Paje said.
