River dredging smells — Teodoro
It used to be a flood plain area. Now there are almost 10-15 meters backfilling of soil and other construction debris in the area
The local government of Marikina City has warned the Department of the Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) that its project
to dredge the Marikina River with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) may aggravate and not lessen flooding in the city.
In an exclusive interview with Daily Tribune, Mayor Marcy Teodoro insisted on the city’s “understanding” with Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu that the dredging should widen and not reduce further the river’s width.
Teodoro charged that the project is tainted with “conflict of interest” as Rep. Bayani Fernando, as chairperson of the House Public Works Committee, holds influence over the DPWH.
The dredging was scheduled to start today, 17 February, but was put on hold, according to the mayor, given the city’s expressed opposition to reducing the river’s ideal width of 100 meters to 70-80 meters.
Insisting that he holds no personal grudge against Fernando, Teodoro revealed they have already issued a notice of violation against BF City, parts of which have allegedly encroached on the riverbank.
He emphasized that the dredging should be made before the onset of the rainy season but in a manner that will follow the national topography of the body of water.
“It’s just that we were flooded and there’s a need to rectify the alignment done to the river. We’re not attacking the person, but we simply want to regain the natural topography of the area,” Teodoro said.
He said that if the DENR and DPWH will follow the proper alignment of the river, the reclamation project of Fernando at BF City will be hit by the government’s dredging project.
The mayor hinted the 70- to 80-meter proposed width of the river may have been intended to ensure that BF City would not be touched.
“There’s a conflict of interest,” Teodoro said, adding that the DPWH has not consulted with the local government on the proper alignment.
City officials formally objected to the DPWH when they learned that it will not follow the original alignment
and the natural course of the river, as well as its ideal width of 100 meters, Teodoro said.
“It was decreased accordingly (to 70-80 meters) as per the suggestion of Congressman BF. So, we are objecting also to the suggestion of Congressman BF. The narrower the river is, the lower is its water-carrying capacity.
“We have an understanding with (Environment) Secretary (Roy) Cimatu that all the reclaimed areas along the Marikina River will be removed and we will widen and deepen the river to increase the water carrying capacity,” the mayor said.
“If these things will happen, we expect that flooding will be mitigated particularly in low-lying communities along the Marikina River,” Teodoro said.
Sought by the Daily Tribune for reaction, Rep. Fernando refused to comment on the issues hurled against him by the city government which he used to head as mayor.
Teodoro revealed they have already issued a notice of violation against BF City, parts of which have allegedly encroached on the riverbank.
Fernando said in a phone interview that he would just let the DPWH answer all the questions as it would be seen as self-serving whatever he might say.
He assured though that he is concerned with the flood since pointing out in 2007 that developments in the Manggahan Floodway project in Pasig City may be contributing to the flood.
Marikina residents on Monday impressed on visiting DENR officials their desire for the restoration of the natural topography of the river as a flood plain while removing all artificial backfilling of its easement.
They said Fernando’s reclamation projects along the riverbank have contributed to the heavy flooding in Marikina during typhoon “Ulysses” last November.
“That’s a common observation of people living in the area. There’s an alteration of the embankment particle on the side of BF City,” Teodoro said. “It used to be a flood plain area. Now there are almost 10-15 meters backfilling of soil and other construction debris in the area.”
“It has increased in elevation, thus, water now rushes toward the direction of Olandes community. The behavior of the water has changed. Actually, they are moving for immediate action on the part of the DPWH to remove all the alterations on the embankment,” Teodoro said.
DENR Assistant Secretary Daniel Darius Nicer said they are open to discussing the issue with the city government, saying the DPWH’s intention should not be seen negatively as its mandate is to stop the flooding.
The problem, Nicer said, was that they could not determine yet the previous alignment, especially since rivers naturally change their topography.