Makati focuses on sanitation

Residents of Makati were asked yesterday to serve as “responsible stewards of the environment” as a clean-and-green surrounding has a direct impact on health and well-being.

The city is celebrating environmental sanitation month with the Makati Health Department kicking off the events with seminars and lectures.

Engr. Felipe Albayda explained to residents that garbage when not properly disposed of eventually end up in the city’s 15 waterways and the Pasig River.

Albayda pointed out that trash-filled waterways impede the flow of water when it rains and this leads to flooding.

At the same time, dirty water serves as a breeding ground for various diseases such as leptospirosis, an illness caused by the presence of animal urine in flood waters.

Part of the celebration is the continuous street clearing operations and the cleaning of various waterways or estero as ordered by Makati City Mayor Mar-Len Abigail Binay.

“As adults and parents, we are our children’s role models in caring for the environment and observing proper sanitation,” said the mayor.

“If kids see us dumping trash in the creeks and waterways, they will grow up thinking it’s the right thing to do,” Binay added.

“Simple things such as segregating garbage, recycling, and planting more trees have long lasting positive effects on both the environment and our health,” she said.