The IM4 Manila Bay program is being pushed by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) as a means to future-proof the environment amid the ongoing pandemic.
The Integrated Mapping, Monitoring, Modeling and Management System for Manila Bay (IM4 Manila Bay) program, a two-year research project collaboration between DOST and the University of the Philippines that was
launched on World Environment Day in June 2020, was cited by DOST Secretary Fortunato de la Peña in his latest weekly public report aired on DOSTv Facebook and YouTube on September 18, 2020.
IM4 Manila Bay aims to characterize Manila Bay and its watershed and linked environments to provide information for rehabilitation and management through water quality monitoring and mapping, hydrodynamic and hydrologic modeling, and dredge materials and solid waste management.
The DOST chief said dredged materials from the Manila tributaries will be then analyzed for their possible use using technology developed by the Charted Dream project, one of the four components of IM4 Manila Bay.
“Sa kagustuhan nating mapaganda ang tubig at ang mga tributaries sa Manila Bay, mangangailangan talaga yan ng dredging,” De la Peña explained about the need for dredging in the Tullahan -Tinajeros rivers system, a 27-kilometer long river system and a major tributary of Manila Bay.
“Ngayon ano ang gagawin natin sa made-dredge na materials at yan ngayon ang proyekto ng DOST-ITDI (DOST-Industrial Technology Development Institute ), iaanalyze para malaman kung ano ang pwedeng paggamitan ng dredge materials na iyan,” shared the DOST chief.
Manila Bay has been in the headlines after the opening of its White Sands project on Sunday, September 20, that drew massive crowds despite community quarantine restrictions.
Previously renowned worldwide for the Manila Bay sunset and a key tourism destination, the area has since suffered polluted waters.
Just before the community quarantine to stop the spread of coronavirus disease was enforced in the Philippines, San Miguel Corporation and DENR were poised to conduct dredging Tullahan-Tinajeros River System to boost the Manila Bay rehab and solve Bulacan flooding.
Manila’s longest creek, Estero de Tripa de Gallina, was also dredged to subside floods and help the Manila Bay rehab program.
SEND WELL WISHES in the comments below to DOST and UP for working on the IM4 Manila Bay to future-proof the environment.
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