Regularly cleaning household septic tanks helps maintain both the overall sanitation and health of the larger community and one’s home.

Unfortunately, this is not common knowledge in some places. Barangay Malanday in Marikina has one of the largest populations in the city. According to Barangay Secretary Cora Trocio, “Maraming residente ang hindi aware kung ano ang maitutulong ng regular na pag-sipsip ng pozo negro (residents can be unaware of the need for routine, preventive maintenance of their septic tanks).”

Thankfully, however, Trocio and other local government workers continue to inform residents of scheduled septic tank desludging operations held by Manila Water, which is the government’s contracted concessionaire servicing the area.

Desludging septic tanks at no additional cost is part of the Toka Toka advocacy of Manila Water, which is centered around partnerships with local government units and residents in areas serviced by the company.

Projects revolve around communities doing their part in helping maintain smooth-flowing sanitation in tandem with the utility company, thus “toka,” which can mean one’s contribution or share in community affairs.

Manila Water can also conduct desludging on-call, out of schedule, but this time, individual homeowners or businesses will need to pay for the service.

Often, desludging services can be quite costly, with many private contractors offering such a service. Rates hover around Php 4,000.00 for residential tanks while they can go a little above Php 8,000.00 for commercial areas.

“Kapag hindi regular ang pagpapa-sipsip ng pozo negro, maaaring mag-overflow ang septage mula sa mga septic tanks at mag-cause ito ng clogging sa mga drainage (if septic tank desludging isn’t regularly done, septage from septic tanks could overflow and cause drainage clogging),” says Denice Versace Mandia, septage management manager of the Manila Water’s North Septage Treatment Plant.

Mandia adds that said overflow may pose a long-term health hazard as pollution run-off can infect nearby clean water routes and supplies, including drinking water. Often, people only avail of septic tank cleaning when the symptoms of a neglected septic tank, like foul odors from the ground, are too apparent.

Trocio echoes, “’Yung apaw na ‘yun, tumutuloy na rin sa mga ilog (this run-off can eventually pollute rivers),” which cover larger jurisdictions, ranging from barangays to entire cities and provinces. Malanday is situated by the banks of the Marikina River, and pollution from other sources has historically caused the banks to flood, forcing residents to evacuate.

The barangay secretary shares that it has not reached a point where residents have fallen ill in Malanday due to neglected septic tanks, and this has been all the more prevented when more people have become aware of the free service offered by Manila Water.

For the month of October, the following barangays are scheduled for desludging:  Barangays San Roque, Calumpang, Sto. Niño, Sta. Elena, Nangka and Fortune in Marikina City; Barangays Culiat, Paligsahan, Matandang Balara, Marilag, Mangga, Kaunlaran, Valencia and Immaculate Concepcion in Quezon City; Barangays 766, 770, 772, 780, 782, 783, 79, 793, 866, 869, 873, 874, 875, 876, 894, 896, 897, 898, 899, 903, 904, 905 in the City of Manila; Barangays Buwayang Bato, Hulo, Plainview and Welfareville Compound, Barangay Addition Hills in Mandaluyong City; Barangays Carmona, Poblacion, Sta. Cruz, Tejeros, East Rembo and San Lorenzo in Makati City; Barangay Tibagan in San Juan City; Barangay South Daang-Hari in Taguig City; and Barangay San Martin de Porres in Parañaque City.

The desludging caravan will also visit Barangays San Isidro, Dalig and Dela Paz in Antipolo City and Barangay Darangan in Binangonan in the province of Rizal.

As the adage goes, prevention is always better than cure. In areas serviced by Manila Water, residents and entrepreneurs can contact their barangay officials to learn when their regular, routine desludging is scheduled by Manila Water. As long as such service is conducted within the set schedule, no additional costs will be charged.

Manila Water’s hotline is 1627. General inquiries can be made via [email protected]. Updates can be found on their official Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok accounts and also at http:// manilawater.com.