Three local government units (LGUs) in Negros Occidental are benefiting from the P293 million worth of slope protection and flood mitigation projects recently completed by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in Western Visayas (Region 6).
In Kabankalan City, these include the 342-lineal meter concrete slope protection along the upstream of Approach A of Ilog Bridge in Barangay Talubangi worth P89.26 million, as well as the 302.4-lineal meter structure in the upstream of Approach B in Barangay Linao amounting to P84.75 million.
“These flood control structures are built to ensure the safety of the residents in communities along the Ilog-Hilabangan River, and also their homes and properties, and sources of livelihood from sudden water rise especially when heavy rains or typhoons occur,” DPWH-6 Regional Director Sanny Boy Oropel said in a statement on Friday, July 12
Negros Occidental 3rd District Engineer Rodney Gustilo said these structures are additions to the 294.8-lineal meter structure built along the Ilog-Hilabangan River in Barangay Orong area, completed in August last year.
In Binalbagan town, a riverbank slope protection project worth P99 million was constructed along the Binalbagan and Bacolod South Road in Barangay San Jose.
The 236-meter structure fortified with steel sheet piles is designed to hold the soil in place and prevent erosion, especially during heavy rains and typhoons.
“The reinforced concrete and steel sheet piles form a robust barrier against the forces of nature, ensuring the stability of the riverbank and the safety of the community,” 2nd District Engineer Marivic Roldan said.
Up north in San Carlos City, a P20-million sea wall, comprised of a 100-meter slope protection structure and 210-meter wave deflector, has been constructed along the coastal community in Barangay 6, which is vulnerable to flooding and seawater overflow.
“This flood control structure is a tangible edifice that could protect the lives and properties of the people from flooding, water overflow and erosion,” Negros Occidental Sub District Engineering Office officer-in-charge Juan Alfonso Jorbina, Sr. said. (PNA)