City of San Fernando—The major rivers and their tributaries specially the Pampanga River Basin in Central Luzon had swollen banks, causing widespread flooding in the region specially in Pampanga and Bulacan Wednesday, according to flood control authorities.
Lita Manalo, head of the Unified Project Management Office and Flood Control Cluster of the Department of Public Works and Highway in Central Luzon, said rivers especially those in Pampanga, Bataan and Bulacan were overflowing with floodwaters spreading to other villages instead of going out to heavily silted mouth of Manila Bay.
In other developments:
• The National Disaster Reduction and Management Council said heavy rains from the southwest monsoon enhanced by Tropical Storm “Karding” “had so far affected 187,744 families, or 828,462 persons, residing in 680 barangays in the Ilocos, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Cordillera, and the National Capital regions.
• The Department of Environment and Natural Resources urged the public to stay vigilant against landslides and flash floods during heavy downpour.
Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu told the public to take precautionary measures, saying “residents and communities near mountains and within low-lying areas should be proactive by taking appropriate measures to minimize, if not prevent, any adverse impact of calamities.”
• The Department of Public Works and Highways in Negros said the P83.9-million Imbang River flood control project was almost complete and would protect several villages in Silay City, Negros Occidental.
DPWH District Engineer Jaime SJ Javellana said that concrete walls were constructed on both sides of the 1.2-kilometer portion of Imbang River to mitigate river overflow and flooding during rainy season.
Disaster official Bobby Manalo said the limited carrying capacity of the rivers especially the PRB due to narrow cross-section in width and depth contributed to the flooding.
The other causes were siltation, informal settlers, garbage and encroachment like illegal fishponds along major the rivers and waterways.
The Regional Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office said that as of Wednesday villages submerged by three to five underwater reached 357 from 102 yesterday.
Manalo said villages severely affected were in Bulacan,178, Pampanga,,167 Bataan,14; and Nueva Ecija four.
Rising and spreading floodwaters caused by monsoon and high tide also affected 208,489 families composed of 474,956 persons while classes both in public and private school in all levels remain suspended until further notice of their respective local government units, the regional disaster official said.
Manalo, who inspected the rivers and their tributaries, said the rivers had reached their full capacity to hold floodwater due to intense heavy rainfall aggravated by daily high tides especially in the coastal towns of the provinces.
“This the first time the rivers reached their full capacity rendering even engineering intervention become less effective in mitigating surging floodwater”, she said.
Manalo said such structural mitigating measures include dikes, levees retention ponds sedimentation basins, sabot works channeling, revetments, and pumping stations and others
Lack of funds for the floods control projects also, caused them to deteriorate as the government concentrated on lahar-stricken areas of the region. Rio Araja, Vito Barcelo, PNA