TF Kalikasan clears 80 kms. of rivers
AT least 80 kilometers of the river systems in Pangasinan have so far been cleared of illegal structures that used to obstruct navigation, impede the flow of water, and render these bodies of water unsightly.
The ongoing clean-up is being undertaken by Task Force Kalikasan, a group of volunteers formed by Governor Amado Espino Jr. to clear the province’s river systems as part of the program on environmental protection as well as for flood mitigation.
Tommy Cabigas, deputy head of the task force, said the clearing operations were first concentrated along the Agno River tributaries, starting in Manat, Naguilayan and near the boundary of Dagupan City towards a river leading to San Carlos City.
Also recently cleared was a river in Binmaley, near the poblacion that connects to Dagupan through Barangays Caloocan Sur, Dupo, Sabangan, Salapingao and up to the Salapingao side in Dagupan; and the river from Barangay Amancoro, also in Binmaley, towards Namolan and Tonton, Lingayen up to the moth of the Lingayen Gulf via Domalandan.
Cabigas said after the successful clearing and cleaning of those rivers, water now flows faster inward during high tide and outward when it is low tide.
Among the next areas lined up for clearing is a branch of the Agno River in Barangay Domalandan, Lingayen leading to the town of Labrador.
In the clearing operations, the task force has been removing bamboo poles that were placed inside these rivers as fishing structures and undertaking dredging.
The river cleanup was recently hailed by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) as the biggest ever river cleaning operations in Pangasinan and in the entire Northern Luzon.
The province-wide clean up, however, will not cover rivers within Dagupan as the city is not under the jurisdiction of Pangasinan, but Cabigas explained that Mayor Benjamin Lim, through an internal agreement with Espino, has committed to handle the clearing within the city.
Dagupan is already carrying out its river cleaning operation removing all illegal fishpens.
Meanwhile, river marshals are regularly patrolling cleared areas to ensure that no illegal structures are restored.
Cabigas said the provincial administration envisions the eventual use of the rivers as water highways for passenger boats and ferries.—LM
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