By CESAR JOLITO III

Local officials in Negros Occidental’s La Castellana town are pressing for the immediate dredging of Bagacay and Tamburong creeks in Barangay Biak na Bato, as they warn that the hardened lahar deposits could trigger severe flooding in the event of heavy rains.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) confirmed that both creeks, which were once six meters deep, are now clogged with compacted volcanic debris.

Charlie Fabre, DENR in Negros Island Region officer-in-charge, said this condition puts hundreds of residents in danger, stressing the urgency of intervention before the peak of the rainy season.

Fabre disclosed that he asked Environment Secretary Raphael Lotilla to authorize dredging operations without requiring the transport of dredged materials, since the creeks lie within the Mt. Kanlaon Natural Park, a protected area.

“We need an exemption so we can act immediately to prevent a disaster,” Fabre said.

Biak na Bato village chief Joselito Martinez, Jr. warned that if the blockage at Tamburong Creek remains, flooding could spread beyond their community and inundate nearby Barangay Cabacungan.

“The barangay council and the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office have both passed a resolution asking for a special permit to conduct dredging,” Martinez said.

The La Castellana Incident Management Team (IMT) earlier raised the alarm, stressing that the two clogged creeks have become critical bottlenecks for floodwaters.

The IMT said the residents are making “an urgent appeal to the Office of Civil Defense, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and Protected Area Management Board [PAMB] to act swiftly on this matter.”

Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson, for his part, said he will task the Provincial Environment Management Office to study how the dredging could be fast-tracked.

“I hope the DENR will be more lenient because this is not a natural occurrence,” Lacson said, pointing out that lahar buildup came as a direct consequence of volcanic activity.

With the rainy season intensifying, residents and local authorities are anxiously awaiting swift approval from the national government to avert what they fear could be widespread flooding in the southern Negros town.

Earlier, the PAMB of Mt. Kanlaon Natural Park asked Lotilla to approve the immediate clearing of lahar-clogged waterways inside the protected area.

The debris, including large boulders, flowed into Barangay Biak na Bato’s Sitio Tamburong in La Castellana following rains brought by Severe Tropical Storm “Crising” and the southwest monsoon in July./ With reports from PNA / CJ, WDJ