• THERESA MAE DULMAN
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Negros Island Region (NIR) cleared a total of 47,063.32 cubic meters of silt from various waterways in Bacolod City, as of March 25.
This accomplishment is part of the ‘Oplan Kontra Baha’ program, a flood mitigation initiative conducted in coordination with the Bacolod City District Engineering Office.
The regional office reported that the desilting operations reached two percent of the total 2,175,323.11 cubic meter target volume for the region’s waterways.
In addition to desilting, the DPWH-NIR declogged 3,517.31 cubic meters of drainage systems, representing 11.4 percent of the overall target.
The operations involved the cleaning of creeks, dredging and hauling of debris, and the manual removal of obstructions from drainage inlets and lateral lines.
Data from the regional office showed varying progress across specific critical areas in Bacolod City.
The desilting of Mambuloc Creek in Barangay 2 reached 97.1 percent completion, with 29,207.27 cubic meters of silt removed.
Operations at the Mandalagan River recorded a 15.5 percent accomplishment rate, while efforts at Banago Creek and the Lupit River reached 5.1 percent and 0.3 percent completion, respectively.
The DPWH-NIR stated that these activities are essential for maintaining the operational capacity of the city’s drainage structures.*
