Deretsahan
Stop the flooding!
By Bebot Villar
IT’S been two days since Typhoon Luis left Philippine area of Responsibility last Wednesday but patuloy pa rin sa pagtaas ng tubig-baha sa mga bayan ng Calasiao, Sta. Barbara at Dagupan City.
Inis na inis ang maraming mga commuters at motorists that day dahil hindi sila makadaan sa mga flooded streets. Na-late tuloy sila sa kanilang offices and schools sa Dagupan. So many ask: Why hasn’t government found the solution to stop the flooding in these towns? Ilang dekada na rin ang problemang ito!
There were, of course, measures that were undertaken in the past. Rivers and irrigation canals were dredged, dikes were improved and lately, the road elevation was raised. But what do we have today? In spite of these projects, bakit mukha naman hindi na-solve ang problem sa flooding? What went wrong? Baka naman “Band-Aid” solutions lang ang nagawa natin?
It’s high time that concerned government agencies take a second look at the causes of perennial flooding problems and find a lasting solution.
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Somebody once pointed to a breach along the Agno River somewhere in the San Manuel area as the cause of all the flooding. The water from the river is supposed to exit through the breach at tuloy sa Sinocalan River, which flows to Calasiao, Dagupan and out to the Lingayen Gulf.
But hey, the Agno River did not swell this time! Nasalo ng San Roque Dam ang milyon-milyong cubic meters ng tubig na bumagsak sa Agno River basin and the dams gates were not opened! So saan galing ang tubig? It looks like heavy rains nga lang talaga ang cause ng flooding in many parts of Pangasinan. Mga run-off water that could not be absorbed by the Sinocalan River and other waterways.
At dahil ang Calasiao-Dagupan area ay mababa, nagsisilbing catch basin ang mga ito. Sila ang taga-salo ng mga tubig-baha. In other words, kapag humupa ang pagbabaha sa Urdaneta at Sta. Barbara, tiyak, malalim naman ang baha sa Calasiao at Dagupan! Many already know how and where the floodwaters flow. So, why not trace the water flow and build drainage systems large enough to accommodate these run-off water until they exit to the Lingayen Gulf?
Kung baga, gagawa tayo ng expressway para sa tubig baha para di na kung saan-saan dumadaan ito. Sobrang simple ba?
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Elevating roads and bridges are good. At least, kung itinaas ang mga ito sa susunod na flood event, the roads remain passable. Kaya lang bumabaha pa rin kasi they keep on digging canals by the roadside na hindi naman magkakarugtong! Worse, kung hindi rin lang aagos ang tubig sa mga kanal, maiipon lang ang mga ito then it becomes a breeding place for dengue mosquitoes!
What we need is a drainage system kung saan aagos ang tubig at pupunta sa kung saan ito dapat mapunta. Water seeks its own level, sabi nga sa Physics. And while it flows randomly to seek its own level, especially in large quantities, water becomes destructive. Ang puwede nating gawin ay i-guide ang tubig in seeking its level. Hence, kailangan natin ng drainage system!
* * * *
The Chinese drug traffickers in Pampanga probably thought na habang panahon silang makakapagtago as salesmen for kitchenware. Pero siyempre, nabisto rin sila at ni-raid ang kanilang rented warehouse where they manufacture shabu. More than P1-billion worth ng shabu at control precursors ang nakita roon!
Itong mga alien illegal drug traffickers are getting bolder. They used to locate their shabu laboratory sa mga malalayong lugar, ngayon, sa mga kabayanan na, like this one in Pampanga, just one kilometer away from NLEX. They thought mas hindi sila pagsususpetsahan kung nasa kabayanan sila.
From this experience, dapat mas pag-ibayuhin pa ng mga local government units ang regular at surprise inspections of business establishments in their places.
* * * *
The anti-drug abuse councils in every barangay, town, city and province are extremely important sa kampanya laban sa drug trafficking which is why sa bawat lugar na mapuntahan natin, I encourage the local officials to activate ang mga councils nila.
The barangay has always been our first line of defense. Sa mga barangay kasi, especially in provinces, halos magkakakilala ang mga tao, magkakamag-anak pa nga, kadalasan. If a stranger visits, agad itong nauusisa at nakikilala. Anumang activity sa mga barangay ay agad na nalalaman ng mga residents doon.
Kung active ang anti-drug abuse councils sa mga barangay, hindi lamang ang mga addict ang mapipigilan but drug traffickers that can put up a drug laboratories.
Mahalaga rin siyempre ang role na gagampanan ng pulis, PDEA at ng intelligence community. Their effectiveness lies in the coordination of these agencies with the citizenry through their anti-drug abuse councils!
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