Three national government agencies are joining forces with officials of the third district of Negros Occidental in the battle to mitigate flooding, Rep. Francisco Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District), said today, January 7.
A Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) amphibious excavator will begin dredging of silted waterways in Victorias City tomorrow, January 7, and a provincial government dredger will start work in Talisay City on Saturday, January 9, he said.
The DPWH has allocated P400 million for the creation of new canals and drainage systems in Victorias City, that was the worst hit by flash floods on January 1, Benitez said.
Dredging of silted waterways in other LGUs in the third district will follow, Benitez said, at a coordination meeting of the DPWH and the mayors of the cities of Victorias, Talisay and Silay, and EB Magalona at Nature’s Village Resort in Talisay City today.
Benitez said the DPWH, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and Department of Agriculture (DA) are joining the local government units in drawing up an integrated master plan on flood and water management in the third district since its tributaries are interconnected.
Nergos Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson urged the cities affected by the flooding to buy their own dredgers to clear and maintain their waterways to prevent floods.
The DPWH sent a team to the coordination meeting to listen to the concerns of the officials in the flood-affected areas and discuss mitigation measures, Benitez said.
The DPWH has brought a dredger and pumps to the district to clear the waterways of silt and garbage, Benitez said.
Benitez said the flash floods in the third district on January 1 was a confluence of extra ordinary high tide with long duration of rain from the mountains.
He said the DENR and DA are proposing small dams for water impounding in the uplands to complement the DPWH dredging of waterways in the lowlands, he said.
The DPWH will also address the need for flood control infrastructure, he added.
The DENR will also tackle watershed management and reforestation, Benitez said.
People in danger zones need to be relocated and riverbank easements must also be properly implemented, he said.
The DA will be in charge of water embanking, he said.
Benitez said they need to draw up short, midterm, and long term targets to address the flooding problem.*