Flooding problem in 5th District prioritized
AFTER the massive devastation suffered by towns in the 5th District at the height of Typhoon Pepeng last year, Rep. Carmen “Kimi” Cojuangco, who is on her first term after previously serving as mayor of Sison town, is making flood prevention one of her top priorities.
Last week, on her first visit to the district since she assumed the congressional post, Cojuangco inspected two flood control infrastructures in the area, the Bued River Dike and the Agno Floodway together with government engineers and municipal mayors.
She met with Mayor Artemio Chan of Pozorrubio, Mayor Mina Joy Pangasinan of Sison and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) engineers to assess the state of the Bued River Dike.
In case the Bued River dike breaks, expected to bear the brunt of the damage will impact on Pozorrubio’s barangay Agat all the way to Amagbagan in Sison.
According to the DPWH engineers, P19 M was already spent in the rehabilitation of the dike.
But Cojuangco described the repairs as mere “band-aid remedy” that do not really solve the core problem and that repairs could cost more in the long run.
FUNDING PROBLEM
Possible permanent solutions were drafted during the meeting, which all require considerable funding that Cojuangco promised to work for.
At the Agno Floodway in Alcala, Cojuangco met Alcala Mayor Manuel Collado and Bautista Mayor Amado Espino III.
According to Collado, floodwaters will continue to ravage both his town and Bautista every typhoon season if the floodway is not widened to accommodate at least 50% of the total volume of water from Agno River, which serves as the spillway of the San Roque Dam.
Presently, the diversion channel allows only 25% of the spill while the bigger 75% volume proceeds to flood Bautista, while the backflow goes to most parts of Alcala.
Espino added that his town suffers further damage as a whirlpool of flood is created when the spill from Agno River meets with the rushing waters from neighboring Tarlac province.
She later met with Agno Flood Control Director Engr. Fidel Ginez and Mayor Ditas Abrenica of Villasis to discuss possible flood-control measures further.
Cojuangco said she will meet with DPWH Sec. Rogelio Singson to discuss the results of her inspection trips and meetings.
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