San Fernando, Pampanga—The P3-billion megadike that protects Pampanga against lahar flows and chronic flooding may not work this rainy season due to extensive damaged it suffered from the magnitude 6.1 earthquake last April 22, government engineers said.
The damage to the access road of the 56-kilometer FVR megadike prompted the engineers to conduct risk assessment and further investigation and study on the dike against extreme weather conditions, like possible massive flooding in the coming rainy season.
The dike was constructed to protect the province against lahar, flooding, silt, sediments, and other debris following the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in 1991.
Danny Canlas, maintenance engineer of the Pampanga Second Engineering Office of the Department of Public Works and Highways, said because of the damages, they were forced to open the dike road only to light vehicles.
Canlas said the dike suffered scattered but serious damages in the portions of Porac, Bacolor, and San Fernando and the other parts along the coastal towns of Pampanga.
At present, the Unified Management Office for Floods Controls is now conducting an assessment and investigation with the help of engineers from the DPWH central office to speed up the evaluation and repairs of damaged portions if necessary before the onset of the rainy season.
He also said the Consuelo bridge in Floridalanca is now open to traffic to all kinds of vehicles.
The threat must be addressed immediately to protect the communities, livelihood and properties against catastrophic floods and landslides, the engineers added.
The damages on the access road’s two lanes on both sides were deep, scattered, intermittent, and irregular, thus making the investigation and study so tedious they cannot determine the length destroyed by the tremor.
The 6.1 earthquake also killed 18 people and destroyed government properties – roads, bridges, school buildings – and other infrastructure projects worth P500 million in Central Luzon.
Following the probe on the condition of the left and right access road, traffic is expected to be heavy on the main thoroughfares such as the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway, Jose Abad Santos Highway (formerly the Gapan-Olongapo road) and other major roads with interchanges in Porac, San Simon and the cities of Angeles and Mabalacat.
The damaged dike road was constructed to decongest the main roads where about 7,000 multi-wheeler trucks and long-bed dump trucks hauling the famous sand of Pampanga pass daily going to Metro Manila, Northern Luzon and others destinations.
The heavy traffic will also affect the integrity of the two steel overpasses in the City of San Fernando, which were seen swinging whenever overloaded trucks pass the flyover.
Local governments were supposed to regulate or prevent trucks from using the overpass, but the campaign has not been consistent for unknown reasons. The steel overpass was constructed under the Presidential Bridge Program.
An official of the DPWH regional office here said they
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