By CESAR JOLITO III

The Negros Occidental provincial government is seeking a special permit to transfer tons of sediments and debris collected from Ibid Creek at Barangay Tamburong in Negros Occidental’s La Castellana town, outside Mt. Kanlaon Natural Park (MKNP), after its designated storage site reached full capacity.

“The province is still waiting for the permit that will allow the sediments to be stored outside the protected area,” Remuel Lajo, commander of the La Castellana Incident Management Team, explained, emphasizing the urgent need for more storage space.

The move aims to resume the stalled portion of the province-led clearing operations, which were temporarily halted due to the absence of an additional disposal facility within the protected area.

Lajo said only the provincial equipment temporarily stopped operations, while the Department of Public Works and Highways – Negros Island Region (DPWH-NIR) has continued clearing activities along the creek’s upper section.

Earlier, Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office head Irene Bel Ploteña confirmed that the Protected Area Management Board nursery and compound, where the debris was initially being transferred, can no longer accommodate additional sediments.

To accelerate the work, DPWH-NIR has deployed additional backhoes and dump trucks to the site.

The agency is now focusing on removing large boulders from the upstream portion of the creek, which Lajo said could pose potential hazards if left unremoved and carried downstream by heavy rains.

He added that the clearing efforts have already deepened the creek bed, improving the water flow and preventing flooding along nearby highways and residential zones.

Out of an estimated 28,000 cubic meters of sediment targeted for removal, around 3,000 cubic meters have so far been cleared and temporarily stored within MKNP, pending the approval of the relocation permit./CJ, WDJ