Unearthing safety for rainy days
Amid the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic that continues to wreak havoc in the country, another possible problem may arise as the rainy season is just around the corner.
Flooding has become one of the major problems in the country especially now that typhoons are starting to arrive, with typhoon “Auring” — with international name Dujuan — making landfall over the weekend.
But aside from government projects aiming to mitigate floods and their deadly effects, the private sector is also doing its share in protecting the environment and its people.
San Miguel Corporation (SMC) is one of those private sectors engaging in flood mitigation programs, as it is already extending the total reach of its P1-billion Tullahan-Tinajeros River System cleanup to 11.5 kilometers (km), close to halfway of the entire 27-km. stretch, to further complement ongoing flood mitigation measures in the cities of Navotas, Malabon and Valenzuela, before the start of the rainy season.
In a statement, SMC president and chief operating officer Ramon Ang said the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has approved the company’s dredging plans for Sectors 4 and 5 of the river system, covering the length of the river from Tinajeros Bridge to Potrero in Malabon and Valenzuela cities.
The section represents an additional 6.3 km of dredging area, in addition to the initial 5.25-km Sectors 1 to 3 from the Manila Bay in Navotas, to the
Tinajeros Bridge in Malabon, which SMC had been working on.
“We are making all the necessary preparations now to move into the next phase of our river cleanup and flood management initiative. We’re investing in new equipment, and hiring more people. We are fully committed to our advocacy of cleaning up major rivers and helping our cities with flood mitigation,” Ang said.
SMC will be working closely with the local government units and MMDA Flood Control group to implement the project.
“We thank the DPWH for approving our plans for this new stretch, which will benefit Valenzuela and upstream portions of Malabon. As soon as we acquire the special equipment, we will start work on these sections by early April, while simultaneously maintaining our dredging operations from Manila Bay in Navotas to Tinajeros Bridge, or sectors 1 to 3,” he added.
The SMC chief stressed that aside from cleaning and increasing the depth of the river to accommodate more rainwater, especially during the typhoon season, the DPWH has required the widening of portions of the river.
SMC will be working closely with the local government units and MMDA Flood Control group to implement the project.
“Many parts of the river have become of last year, more flood waters flowed into the river. But no heavy flooding was reported in these flood-prone areas,” Ang said.
For the five sectors, SMC is looking to dredge a total of 1.5 million cubic meters of silty sand and solid waste.
Despite the Luzon-wide lockdowns due to the Covid-19 pandemic, dredging output reached 112,910 metric tons as of 15 February 2021. Dredging output has increased from 600 to 1,000 metrictons per day.
“To enable to us to effectively dredge the river and help reduce flooding, we are again asking the support of all stakeholders, including the local government units, to help us maintain the river and contribute to the national government’s program to rehabilitate the Manila Bay,” Ang said.
He added that the acquisition of more equipment and personnel is also in preparation for its upcoming river cleanup initiatives in the province of Bulacan, and for the Pasig River. The Pasig River cleanup is part of its proposed P95.4 billion plan to build the Pasig River Expressway.
Specifically, Ang said the company is acquiring an amphibious excavator for shallow waters and river widening, and a suction cutter dredger that can handle big volume throughput operations, like in the Pasig River.
Ang also said the project has employed 11 heavy equipment operator graduates under the SMC-Technical Education and Skills Development Authority partnership skills training program for former Barangay Taliptip coastal residents in Bulacan.
“We are happy to have them in this Tullahan dredging project. They will gain added training and competence in handling different kinds of heavy equipment. This will prepare them for future dredging projects and this will allow them to earn income for their families,” he started.
The graduates, who started work already, came from families that received financial assistance from SMC and were able to build new concrete houses at safer areas in Bulacan province, after relocating from the future site of SMC’s P740-billion Manila
International Airport project.