A Water Hyacinth Clean-Up Operation
was conducted off the waters of Laguna Lake along the
fourteen (14) lakeshore barangays of Cardona, Rizal.
For years, the Municipality of
Cardona through the leadership of Mayor Bernardo F. San
Juan, Jr. has been asking the Laguna Lake Development
Authority (LLDA) to come up with a solution to the
problem of the overgrowth of water hyacinths in their
lakeshores.
The accumulation of this aquatic
plant due to northeast winds (hanging amihan) has
greatly affected the livelihood of the fisher folks
resulting to difficulty in navigation towards the open
fishing grounds not to mention the threat to the health
and well being of the lakeshore residents.
With the leadership of LLDA General
Manager Rod Cabrera, this long-ignored problem has been
finally resolved. Some sixty (60) Environmental Armies
and fisher folks were hired for the clean-up operation
which was launched last 27 January 2011 with Rizal
Governor Casimiro A. Ynares III in barangay Patunhay.
To help facilitate the clean-up
operation, LLDA contracted the use of a backhoe on barge
for heavily affected areas while manual labor was
assigned to moderately affected areas. In addition,
breakers made from bamboo were installed in the area to
prevent the water hyacinth from blocking anew the
motorways.
In summary, from January 29 to March
11, 2011, a total of 5,100 tons of water hyacinth
covering an area of 63 hectares were hauled using the
backhoe. While a total of 650 tons covering 12 hectares
were removed manually.
To utilize the water hyacinth and
prevent it from just becoming waste, a livelihood
program was set up by LLDA in partnership with the
Office of Congressman Edgar San Luis of the 4th District
of Laguna together with the officials of the Kababaihang
Angat Pila (KAP).
Water hyacinths when dried can be
weaved to form various handicrafts such as bags and
slippers. As of today, 20,000 tons of water hyacinth
have been harvested by the fisher folks and converted
into handicrafts by the KAP.
The clean-up operation is part of the
new Laguna de Bay Master Plan which main aim is to
develop and protect the Laguna Lake to provide
sustainable livelihood and a better quality of life to
its people.
