An official of the Metro Manila Council (MMC) on Monday said individuals caught dumping garbage in the Pasig River or in any waterways in the National Capital Region (NCR) may soon face uniform penalties.

In a statement, MMC and Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chair Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos Jr. said “harmonizing the ordinances” against those who keep throwing trash into waterways is one of the topics being discussed by the MMC members, most of them are NCR mayors.

“We will make a uniform ordinance to mete out sanctions or conduct community service for those who recklessly throw garbage,” Abalos said.

As a more concrete step in keeping waterways clean, he said the MMDA has installed floating trash nets to block garbage from entering its pumping stations.

During his inspection of the installation of trash traps in one of the tributaries of Estero Tripa de Gallina in Pasay, he said two truckloads of trash daily are collected in the area alone.

He said a total of 32 truckloads of trash are collected daily from all 57 pumping stations in Metro Manila.

“As we expect the volume of trash to increase because of the rains and inclement weather, we also plan to gradually install trash traps on all waterways such as canals and esteros to lessen the effect of flooding in Metro Manila,” Abalos said.

He also asked the public to stop dumping garbage, especially human waste on waterways.

“We call on the public to avoid throwing garbage in prohibited places and we encourage everyone to instead recycle to lessen the waste we are collecting and eventually alleviate the effects of flooding,” Abalos said. (PNA)