By CESAR JOLITO III
The Negros Occidental provincial government has deployed heavy equipment to begin dredging operations at Tamburong Creek in La Castellana’s Barangay Biak na Bato, after hardened lahar from Kanlaon Volcano triggered severe flooding over the weekend.
“We will start with the clearing of the roads, then dredge the creek,” Provincial Administrator Atty. Rayfrando Diaz said yesterday.
Two backhoes, two dump trucks and an engineering team were sent to the site to clear lahar and volcanic debris that had almost filled the creek, leaving no outlet for floodwaters.
The move comes after heavy rains on Sunday, August 31, caused the creek to overflow, displacing 68 families or 223 residents of Sitio Tamburong, who are now staying at evacuation centers in the barangay.
The flooding also affected Barangays Cabacungan, Robles and Sag-ang, forcing 37 more families to flee their homes.
“The dredging of waterways is urgent to save lives and homes. We will continue until the creek is wide and deep enough to allow water to flow freely again,” Diaz said.
Materials removed from the creek will be transported to Mt. Kanlaon Natural Park (MKNP) compound and nursery in neighboring Barangay Cabagna-an, in compliance with environmental regulations prohibiting their removal for commercial use.
Diaz also said the closeness of the two locations will save the resources of the Capitol.
Earlier this year, the MKNP’s Protected Area Management Board passed a resolution recommending the clearing of lahar-filled waterways in anticipation of La Niña rains.
Meanwhile, La Castellana Mayor Añejo Nicor, who joined provincial personnel in inspecting the affected areas, confirmed that the once 12-meter-deep creek is now almost filled with lahar deposits, forcing water to carve new destructive paths through residential zones.
“We want the removal of sand and stones that are blocking our river and creek,” Nicor said.
The mayor, together with the Incident Management Team and other local officials, wants to ensure that obstructions in waterways will be cleared to prevent flooding and mudflows once rains recur.
On Sunday, the local government, with help from the Department of Public Works and Highways, initiated initial scraping operations at the creek.
The province’s deployment of heavy equipment marks the start of a full-scale dredging operation to prevent further disasters in the town.
The Provincial Environment Management Office and Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office also conducted assessments on Monday, September 1, to determine the extent of the damage./CJ, WDJ