• RICHARD T. CABALLERO JR.
Torrential rains and the lack of storage facilities for the accumulated sediments from Ibid Creek in Barangay Tamburong, La Castellana, Negros Occidental, has forced the authorities to temporarily cease the clearing operations.
Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) Head Irene Bel Ploteña said yesterday that the nursery and compound of the Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) within the Mt. Kanlaon Natural Park (MKNP), where the accumulated sediments were initially transferred, is now full and cannot cater to more debris.
“Temporarily ceased because we are still looking for a place where we can transfer all the sediments we accumulate from the creek because the area in MKNP is already full,” she explained.
The authorities responsible for the clearing operation are now coordinating with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the PAMB for the immediate allocation of a place where they can store debris.
“We are still waiting for their response. We like to think things through before we resume our operations,” she added, citing the immediate need for a place where sediments can be transferred.
3,000 CUBIC METERS
Out of 28,000 cubic meters (cbm) that need to be cleared from the waterways of Ibid Creek, Ploteña reported that as of yesterday, only 3,000 cbm has been removed and transferred to the MKNP.
This was due to the challenges they were facing during the operation, such as the heavy rains, shortage of heavy equipment, and lack of storage facilities.
The Department of Public Works and Highways Negros Island Region is already set to start their own clearing operations upstream of the creek, to prevent the debris from filling the downstream areas again, which could affect nearby residences.
“The lower part of the creek has progressed; it is getting deeper, but when rain comes, sediments from above the creek refill the downstream,” she said, expressing her concern for immediate clearing of the upstream areas.*
