Dagupan, Calasiao vow to work together vs flood
DAGUPAN City Mayor Belen Fernandez and Calasiao town Mayor Patrick Caramat have jointly committed to work on science-based solutions to address the persistent flooding in their neighboring localities.
“Water knows no political boundaries, and that is why we need strong inter-LGU (local government unit) partnerships and science-based strategies to make progress possible,” Fernandez said during Rappler’s Forum on Good Governance and Livability held on October 2 at the Lay Foundation Center of the Lingayen-Dagupan archdiocese in Dagupan.
Also present at the forum were Caramat, Fourth District Board Member Jerry Agerico Rosario representing Gov. Ramon Guico III, Dagupan Councilor Michael Fernandez, and Calasiao Councilor Ardieson Soriano.
Fernandez praised the young Calasiao mayor, who is in his first term in office, for having shown remarkable insights when he cited that their rivers were last dredged in the 1980s, leaving them heavily silted.
“What happens upstream in neighboring towns directly impacts Dagupan, since floodwaters flow down from higher areas through Calasiao and finally accumulate in our city,” Fernandez said.
Caramat also pointed out that Gabion walls are not the long-term, technically sound solution for riverbank protection, citing an old gabion revetment built in 2015 along the Marusay River that collapsed last September 31 in Barangay San Vicente, Calasiao, resulting in massive flooding in both Calasiao and Dagupan.
Caramat said gabions may provide enforcement, but they are prone to failure over time, as he called for their replacement by more durable structural interventions.
Structures must be combined with dredging, desilting, and sustainable river management to ensure lasting protection of riverbanks, he added.
On the part of Dagupan, Fernandez said they will also continue to push for evidence-based solutions with the help and technical expertise of the Department of Public Works and Highways, while strengthening cooperation with neighboring LGUs and the communities. (Leonardo Micua)
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