Iloilo City to Use Fishnet Traps to Curb River Waste

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

The Iloilo City General Services Office (GSO) is intensifying its campaign to clean the Iloilo River and nearby waterways by installing fishnet waste traps in creeks and drainage outfalls.

GSO head Engr. Neil Ravena said the initiative targets waste management issues and aims to pinpoint areas where garbage contributes to drainage blockages and river pollution.

“We will install [the traps] in creeks, starting with Dungon Creek and an outfall in Nabitasan,” Ravena said on June 16.

“These are our priority areas because our investigation shows remnants of appliances like televisions and refrigerators originate there,” he added.

The GSO is monitoring 18 barangays along the Iloilo River, along with 26 coastal barangays, including those near the Batiano River.

As of June 16, at least 900 kilograms of organic and plastic waste had been collected from the Batiano River.

“While we continue cleanup operations in Batiano, we are also focusing on the Iloilo River, especially the Sunset Boulevard area where significant waste has been observed,” Ravena said.

He added that the city will call meetings with the 18 barangays and may involve the Office of the Ombudsman and the Department of the Interior and Local Government to issue warnings to non-compliant communities.

In February 2024, the city piloted a solid waste management behavior study in 18 barangays, in partnership with the United States Agency for International Development and Central Philippine University.

Ravena noted that the study’s reach was limited, covering only 10 percent of the city’s 180 barangays.

“The impact was not significant,” he said.

To expand its efforts, the city plans to replicate the study in at least 36 barangays to reduce river-bound waste.

“One behavioral gap we identified is the tendency of residents to throw garbage out their windows for convenience,” Ravena explained.

He also cited collection difficulties in riverside and coastal areas inaccessible to garbage trucks and only reachable by footbridges.

To address these challenges, the GSO plans to establish a solid waste management division to monitor garbage collection systems in real-time, in collaboration with Central Philippine University.

“They will track collection online, helping us identify which barangays are struggling with waste management,” Ravena said.