A Department of Public Works and Highways amphibious hydraulic excavator today, January 8, began dredging clogged waterways in Victorias City to prevent further flooding in the city.
Victorias in Negros Occidental is now under a state of calamity after flash floods hit the city on January 1.
Victorias Mayor Francis Palanca, with Rep. Francisco Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District) and Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson, led the launching of the DPWH dredging that started at the Carugiat Creek.
Other waterways, including the Malihaw, and Magnanod rivers, are also set for dredging, Palanca said.
It will probably take about four to five years for all of the Victorias waterways to be cleared, he said.
The city government is buying its own dredger to augment the work of the DPWH dredger, he added.
Palanca thanked the DPWH, Benitez and Lacson for swiftly addressing the need for dredging in Victorias City after the January flash floods.
Lacson said flooding caused by heavy rains has been damaging agricultural lands and residential areas in the Third District, particularly in Victorias City, that is why dredging must be a continuing operation to revive the natural waterways.
He also encouraged the LGUs to purchase their own dredgers, especially those prone to heavy flooding during the rainy season.
The Negros Occidental provincial government will begin dredging work in Talisay City tomorrow, January 9, Lacson said.*