DENR taps French waste water treatment firm for Pasig River rehab

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has tapped the services of French public company SIAAP for the rehabilitation of Pasig River, Environment Secretary Gina Lopez said Tuesday.

"With SIAAP we are going to do two things. One is they're going to help us upgrade the master plan that we already have for the Pasig River ... and they will do it in the quickest possible time," Lopez told reporters in a press conference at DENR's central office in Quezon City.

SIAAP, also called the Greater Paris Sanitation Authority, operates the largest waste water treatment facility in Europe.

"Second, they're going to help us with some technology and they're going to start in San Francisco River, which eventually became the San Juan River, which is 40 percent of the pollution of the Pasig River," Lopez noted.

SIAAP representatives said they still have to study the Pasig River master plan before coming up with the best solution and specific details that include the project cost.

"All over the world, when the river is clean, the economy comes up. The cleaning of Singapore River was crucial to the Singapore economy," she said.

Lopez cited the initial rehabilitation efforts accomplished by the department, particular the surrounding esteros. "You can't clean the river if you don't clean the esteros first," she said. — VDS, GMA News