By CESAR JOLITO III

The clearing of volcanic debris from Tamburong Creek in Negros Occidental’s La Castellana town is expected to stretch for at least a year, as operations move at a snail’s pace due to limited equipment and weather-related setbacks.

Incident Management Team (IMT) Commander Remuel Lajo reported that only 808 cubic meters of volcanic sand and gravel so far have been removed from the creek in Barangay Biak na Bato, a fraction of the estimated 28,000 cubic meters that must be cleared to restore the creek’s natural flow.

The cleared materials were hauled to the Mt. Kanlaon Natural Park for proper disposal.

Currently, only two heavy equipment units from the provincial government are being used, with one already breaking down, further slowing operations.

Three dump trucks from the provincial government and light trucks from the La Castellana municipal government have been mobilized, but Lajo stressed that these are insufficient to keep pace with the massive volume of debris.

“There are still tons of stocks on the upper part of the creek, and when rains come, the cleared areas are quickly refilled with debris from upstream,” Lajo explained.

He warned that without additional equipment, the work could drag on for more than a year.

Local officials are now seeking at least three more dump trucks and additional heavy equipment from the provincial government to speed up hauling and dredging.

The provincial government earlier allocated P1 million for fuel subsidies to support the clearing operations, which target a final creek depth of 30 feet and a width of six meters.

Despite the slow progress, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz II confirmed that the clearing team has already succeeded in unblocking the culvert box of the creek, restoring water flow in the affected area./CJ, WDJ