Another massive river dredging in Dagupan set
DENR DESILTATION PROJECT
A MASSIVE dredging operation is set by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ Mines and Geo-sciences Bureau (MGB), to desilt shallow rivers of Pangasinan that will include Dagupan City and the towns of San Fabian and Infanta to minimize flooding.
This was announced by Mayor Belen Fernandez after discussing the operating plans for the dredging of the rivers with the MGB dredging in addition to the ongoing dredging of the Calmay River being undertaken by the DPWH.
The MGB’s dredging operation will start around the fourth quarter this year at the Limahong Channel in Lingayen and will be undertaken by a private contractor selected by the national government, and in case of the city government it will not spend any funds for it.
Fernandez said the massive dredging work will be a big boon to flood mitigation in Dagupan City.
To facilitate the start of the dredging operations, Fernandez is set to conduct a dialogue with fisherfolks of the island barangays where the dredging will be done.
“Umiikot na kami, kasama ang DPWH in order to pinpoint the areas that need to be dredged first,” Fernandez said.
Fernandez said the dredging, the elevation of roads, construction of bigger and wider drainage system, and sheet piling of all river banks and construction of flood will greatly mitigate flooding in Dagupan.
She stressed that she will not adopt the recommendation of the defunct Flood Mitigation Commission that requires the city government to establish pumping out stations in strategic areas because of the impracticality of their use given the city’s near below sea level location
MGB said dredging of shallow rivers will increase their carrying capacities and prevent these from overflowing their banks during heavy rains that cause frequent flooding.
Cost of the dredging will be shouldered solely by the contractor as the latter intends to recover and sell precious metallic materials from the dredged materials, and Dagupan and the three towns will earn 30% share.
This is in addition to the premium sand materials that would be recovered and can be sold as filling materials and also materials to support the construction industry, MGB said.
The Pantal-Sinocalan River bed is possibly rich in precious metallic materials, like gold, silver and even diamond because its water comes from a fountain head in Mt. Ampucao, Tuba, Benguet. (Leonardo Micua)
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