Mayor Gila earmarks Php 63 million for flood control

DINALUPIHAN, Bataan – The municipal government of Dinalupihan, has earmarked Php 63 million for the construction of dikes, dredging of heavily-silted canals and rehabilitation of damaged public infrastructures to prevent destruction of agricultural crops and residential areas due to flooding in low-lying communities.

Rolando Rojas, administrative consultant of Mayor Gila S. Garcia of Dinalupihan said that the municipal officials have sought the assistance of Bataan Governor Albert Raymond S. Garcia in formulating effective flood control projects to minimize if not totally end the sufferings of the local folks from floodwaters.

Rojas explained that the dredging and improvement of tributaries leading to Almacen River are technically diverting floodwaters from flowing to the productive farmlands of Layac, Sta. Isabel and nearby barangays.

Oftentimes, floodwaters cause the Layac junction to be not passable to commuters travelling to and from Zambales and Olongapo City  using public and private vehicles during rainy days.

He said that the construction of four dikes in Barangays Luacan, Pagalanggang, Sta. Isabel and Pita is intended to avoid heavy downpour coming from the mountain ranges of Zambales and Pampanga to low-lying communities of Dinalupihan.

High tides and the thickly-silted status of the Orani Channel in Manila Bay are the major contributory factors causing instant flooding in Dinalupihan and adjacent town of Hermosa.

Technical people from the Provincial Engineering Office and the municipal engineer of Dinalupihan are tapped to undertake exhaustive study of decades long flooding problems of this northern Bataan town, Rojas said.

In a related development, Mayor Gila Garcia has instructed the municipal agriculturist Fidel Felipe to embark on massive bamboo planting activities in the upland tribal villages of Bayagan, Tubo-Tubo and Bayan-Bayanan.

Initially, Felipe identified the three-hectare pilot area in Barangay Pita to be planted with 800 bamboo seedlings which is a big step to thwart erosion since the bamboo roots have holding capacity to absorb rainwaters.

The normal technique of sandbagging is just a temporary solution and is found to be a poor type  of flood control measure.