• RICHARD T. CABALLERO JR.
The clearing of waterways at the Ibid Creek located at Sitio Tamburong, Barangay Biak-na-Bato in the town of La Castellana, Negros Occidental, will take at least a year, due to the snail-paced progress and shortage of equipment, La Castellana Incident Management Team Commander Remuel Lajo said yesterday.
Lajo reported that out of the projected 28,000 cubic meters (CBM) of sand and volcanic materials that needs to be cleared from the creek, only 808 CBM has been cleared and hauled as of yesterday.
The volcanic sand and gravel that was removed was transferred to the nursery and compound of the Protected Area Management Board (PAMB), which is within the Mt. Kanlaon Natural Park, for proper disposition, he said.
The slow pace of clearing is due to the shortage of equipment and to the challenges that the clearing team was facing, including weather disturbances and the malfunctioning of heavy equipment.
Only two units of heavy equipment from the provincial government are being used for the clearing. However, one unit has been malfunctioning, Lajo cited.
“There are still tons of stocks on the upper part of the creek, and it gave us a hard time. When rain comes, debris and stocks from the upper part of the creek go down and fill the cleared area,” he said.
The clearing team has been utilizing three dump trucks provided by the province, and other light trucks from the municipal government of La Castellana to haul the dredged debris and lahar from the creek.
However, the number of trucks is not enough to speed up the operation. If no additional equipment arrives, the clearing will take a year or more to be completed.
Lajo and the local officials are seeking to request an additional three dump trucks and heavy equipment from the provincial government, to speed up the clearing and hauling operations.
The provincial government had allocated a P1 million fuel subsidy for the equipment to be used for clearing. The aim of the operation is to make the creek 30 feet deep, with a width of six meters.
“Our operation is ongoing, but we have only slow progress,” he said.
Meanwhile, the volcanic materials that blocked the flow of water at the culvert box of the creek have been successfully removed, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz II reported yesterday afternoon.*
