The DENR Metropolitan Environmental Office-West conducted a cleanup in a portion of Estero de Provisor in Barangay 661, Ermita, Manila on Thursday, 27 January 2022.
Estero de Provisor is a short waterway connected to Estero de Tanque and Estero de Balete. Water coming from said waterways flows out to Pasig River near Ayala Bridge.
Before the cleanup, Estero de Provisor was filled with water hyacinths, stopping the flow of water and trapping other debris. After the cleanup, MEO-West, together with the Estero Rangers assigned to the area were able to remove 123 sacks of water hyacinths in the waterway.
Water hyacinths (Eichhornia crassipes) are considered invasive aquatic plant species. It quickly overruns lakes, ponds, rivers, marshes, and other types of wetland habitats, covering it with dense floating mats of vegetation. These aquatic plants tend to restrict light underwater, affecting natural processes and depleting dissolved oxygen in the water. It also traps debris and other waste in the water and potentially attracts pests.
Last year, DENR Secretary Roy A. Cimatu directed the regional office to focus on removing water hyacinths in the waterways of Metro Manila. DENR National Capital Region immediately complied with the order by mobilizing Estero Rangers and other partner organizations in the conduct of cleanups.
The cleanup is part of the ongoing rehabilitation and cleanup of Manila Bay.
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