Posted on August 9, 2023
The recent flooding in several coastal communities caused by torrential rains enhanced by Typhoons Egay and Falcon only provided more compelling reasons for the provincial government of Zambales to intensify its river dredging projects.
Zambales Gov. Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. said there is a need to remove sediments and debris from the bottom of the river and restore the river’s capacity to carry water into the sea.
He said 26,799 residents were affected by the recent calamity and the damage to infrastructure reached P545.1 million as well as P24.3 million in agriculture.
Ebdane pointed out that hardest hit are villages adjacent to the tributary rivers from the Mount Pinatubo area that overflowed or punched holes into the dikes and protective embankments.
“Flooding was also observed to be worse in barangay near river mouths because sediments get deposited there naturally when the current slows down at the point where the river meets the sea,” he explained.
“Thus, it is crucial that these areas which are natural catch-basins for sediments should be dredged immediately as more rains are expected, so that we can create bigger drainage areas that will convey river water to the sea more efficiently.”
In San Marcelino town where the municipal council declared a state of calamity, the swollen river breached the protective embankments of Barangay Sta. Fe and destroyed various public infrastructure worth P515 million.
The Zambales Provincial Disaster Risk-Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) reported that 8,421 families comprised of 26,799 individuals were adversely affected by the downpour last week. Most of the affected villages are in San Antonio town, with a total of 6,749 families or 20,602 individuals.
In San Antonio’s Barangay San Miguel where the Pamatawan River empties into the sea, 42 families comprised of 357 persons had to evacuate to safety on July 28 as floodwaters rose to chest-deep in some areas, the PDRRMC said.
Residents said it was the first time they experienced serious flooding there. They said that strong current damaged the river embankment about a hundred meters from the river mouth.
Incidentally, opposition by San Miguel residents to the government’s proposal to dredge Pamatawan River for fear that the project would harm local fishing, prompted Ebdane to suspend dredging activities there.
Still, residents elsewhere affirmed that heavily silted waterways perennially brought floods in their area.
“Nasasakal kasi ang takbo ng tubig, kaya may baha (The river is choked by debris, that’s why there is flood),” observed Marites, a tourism personnel manning a checkpoint to a seaside resort area in San Felipe town.
“OK lang naman ang dredging, basta hindi masyadong maingay sa gabi (Dredging is okay, as long as there’s not much noise at night),” said John Esmelo, a 45-year-old fisherman who lives near the mouth of the Bucao River in Botolan town.
Ebdane said the river dredging program has been endorsed by local government units and national government agencies that they consulted in 2014 to formulate solutions following flooding and landslides in the province during Typhoon Odette in September 2013.
Added to this, he said the Department of Environment and Natural Resources issued in October 2019 Department Order 13-2019, which rationalized dredging in heavily-silted river channels of Bucao, Maloma, and Santo Tomas rivers in order to arrest the degradation of river systems due to the continuous flow of sediment from upland areas and restore their natural state and water flow.
“Our river rehabilitation program is validated by local observation and experience, and more important, it is based on science. We have to do this for everyone’s sake,” Ebdane said.
