City buys heavy dredger machine
Mandaue City bought its first amphibious vehicle for P37 million to dredge the silted Butuanon River and Mahiga Creek.
“This machine will go to any river or stream, ( but) primarily in Butuanon River and Mahiga Creek, without needing a place to park because it will directly go into the water and do the clearing and dredging from there,” Mandaue City Mayor Luigi Quisumbing said.
The City used to have difficulty looking for space for its excavators due to inaccessibility of roads, zoning violations and presence of illegal settlers in some areas.
“There were difficulties where we can put the excavators, then garbage built up, and then siltation. The result would be worse flooding,” he said.
For now, the machine can serve as emergency release valves in areas where flooding worsens from heavy rain.
Quisumbing hopes that the machine will fully be operational in summer when there is less rainfall and distraction.
“It’s difficult for us to really do significant work in dredging when it’s the rainy season, but for now, it will be primarily used as an emergency release valve to areas na grabe na,” he said.
With the acquisition of the amphibious vehicle, the City can act quickly as possible with the equipment already in City Government’s hand.
Quisumbing said the City cannot depend on the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) all the time especially that Mandaue is prone to problems of siltation.
Berky Mowing Machines conducted a site survey and gave recommendations to the Mandaue City Government to make sure it acquires the right machine.
The manufacturer’s area sales manager Martin Alkemeier assured that the machine can clean river sand creaks regardless of their depth.
“It’s fully amphibious and it can float like a boat, but it can also operate on land, like swampy areas or any conditions we can find here in the country,” he said.
Three days before leaving, Alkemeier will set up the machine and train workers.
“There’s no point of bringing the machine, putting the people in and saying good luck! We believe in long lasting relationships, proper training, and then this machine could do very good things for the city for many years,” he said.
The amphibious vehicle arrived at the Mandaue Office of the City Engineer last Dec. 20, and was for a demonstration today near the Ouano Wharf. /