Flood Blames on Closed Gate of Drainage System

 By Mortz c. Ortigoza

CALASIAO, Pangasinan – The flooded area in the stretches of the cockpit arena here to the nearby junction of the vehicles passing to and from Dagupan City has been flooded because of the continuous downpour and the closed gate of the drainage exit at the Banaoang River.

“Iyong drainage outlet ng De Venecia Road sa Ramos Bridge meron gate doon na kapag mataas ang flood level ng river isinasara para hindi pumasok ang tubig galing sa ilog,” according to the text messages of  4th District Engineering Office's District Engineer Simplicio D. Gonzales of the Department of Public Works & Highway when asked by this Writer why the area was still flooded as he cruised his vehicle there.

Areas in Pangasinan remain flooded after continuous downpour. (Photo Credit: CNN)

Gonzales said the flood will be totally eliminated because of the looming creation of another drainage system that will run from the watery area to its egress in the Parongking River.

“Meron pa another project this year para ma-sulusyonan diyan sa observation mo na flooded area ang outlet naman papuntang Paronking River for implementasyon na this year pagka na release na iyong fund”.

He could not say as of press time the appropriation for the second drainage system going to Parongking River.

The flooding in the mentioned areas have been blamed since year 2017 to the defective drainage of the DPWH. Its reconstruction cost the national government P13 million.

That appropriation, Gonzales stressed, went to the creation of the concrete canal that stretches from the cockpit arena here to the Bureau of Internal Revenue, Chowking, Jollibee, and to the Datuin Machine Shop.

The drowning of the area started when the owner of a land where a creek is located at the Judge Jose de Venecia Highway back filled it that impeded the flow of the drainage water that runs to the Banaoang River.

The problem was aggravated because of the bad engineering started by the predecessor of Gonzales as the drainage was not tilting to the exit in the Banaoang River. Part of the P13 million budget, he explained, was its reconstruction.

In the  national 2021 budget, he proposed to construct another egress of the water from the same drainage system that will exit at the Parongking River. 

 READ: 

DPWH exec explains how clogging mess started