Dagupan Mayor confers with DPWH on solutions to river's siltation

DAGUPAN CITY – In a bid to find ways on how to prevent the city’s rivers from further accumulating silt coming from upstream and ease the flow of floodwaters to the Lingagen Gulf, Mayor Belen T. Fernandez held a meeting with the District Engineers of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the Provincial Engineer of Pangasinan and the Municipal engineers of Calasiao on August 15.

To resolve the issue of flooding affecting the Dagupan City's villages of Lasip Chico, Lasip Grande, Pogo Grande, Pogo Chico and Malued Mayor Belen T. Fernandez requested a meeting with the DPWH 2nd Pangasinan Engineering District's District Engineer Rodolfo C. Dion; DPWH District's Engineer Marieta Mendoza of Pangasinan Sub-District Engineering Office, Sta. Barbara, Pangasinan; Engineer Melanio B. De Vera, municipal engineer, Calasiao, Pangasinan; and Provincial Engineer Tonette delos Santos to raise the City's concern over the re-coursing done by the DPWH on the river route of the Banaoang River in Calasiao which is according to the outcome of the study done by the City's Disaster Risk Reduction Office headed by Ronaldo de Guzman is the cause of the siltation of the river system in the city.
The two District Engineers invited by the mayor to the meeting were Engineers Rodolfo C. Dion of the 2nd Pangasinan Engineering District and Engineer Marieta Mendoza of Pangasinan Sub-District Engineering Office in Sta. Barbara, Pangasinan.

Also present were Provincial Engineer Tonette delos Santos and Calasiao Municipal Engineer Melanio B. De Vera.

The city raised its concern over the engineering work done by the DPWH in re-routing the flow of water of the Banaoang River in Calasiao by digging a new river channel that redirected the flow of water from the old river system to the new one which is much shorter.

Accordingly, the bank of the man-made river channel is slowly being eroded especially during the rainy season when the flow of rampaging floodwater scours the river bank, thus badly needing a strong protection dike.

This, according to the study conducted by the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office under Ronald De Guzman, is the cause of serious siltation of the city’s river system, especially the Pantal River.

Further study revealed that the water coming from the Banaoang River system is causing flood in the barangays of Lasip Chico, Lasip Grande, Pogo Grande, Pogo Chico and Malued.

“We will achieve nothing in our campaign of dredging our river if the banks of the Banaoang River remain unprotected with dikes because the strong floodwater current coming from upstream is slowly scouring the area and consequently dumping its silt in our river system,” Fernandez stressed.

For this, Mendoza assured Mayor Fernandez that they will consider the city’s concern as among their top priority projects in their next budget so that a strong river dike along the banks of the Banaoang and Nalsian River system can be constructed.

On the other hand, Mayor Fernandez assured that the city will continue its dredging operation up to the mouth of the river system to ensure that runoff water from upstream will flow to the Lingayen Gulf faster. (Joseph C. Bacani/CIO/August 15, 2016)