DPWH completes 5 flood control structure in Aurora

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO --- Residents in several municipalities in the province of Aurora are now protected against threats of unwanted inundat i on.

This after the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) recently completed five flood control structures in their communities.

DPWH Secretary Manuel M. Bonoan said that the DPWH Aurora District Engineering Office (DEO) finished flood mitigating structures in the towns of Baler, Dilasag, and Dipaculao.

DPWH Regional Office 3 Director Roseller A. Tolentino and District Engineering Roderick A. Andal revealed that a total of P58.8 million was allocated from the 2022 General Appropriations Act (GAA) to build the protective structures.

In Aurora’s capital town of Baler, a 390-lineal meter slope protection along the Duongan River section in Barangay Sabang was constructed to supplement the security provided by the nearby 100-lineal meter wall protection.

The slope protection, which protects the community of Sitio Vietnam, was built with stone masonry walls provision that fisherfolks can utilize to secure their boats during heavy rains brought by typhoons.

Another 506.9-lineal meter slope protection now safeguards locals living in Barangay Diagyan, Dilasag town against coastal flooding.

The slope protection was constructed on steel sheet pile foundation, stone masonry, grouted riprap, and embankment and connected to existing seawalls of the coastal barangay facing Philippine Sea and Pacific Ocean.

Meanwhile, residential areas near waterways in the town of Dipaculao now have extra flood protection with the completion of flood control structures in Barangays Borlongan, Ditale, and Sapangkawayan measuring 192 lineal meters, 540lineal meters, and 838.5 lineal meters, respectively.

To further strengthen flood resilience in the province, a P116.37-million project broke ground in August 2022 to build a 1,300-lineal meter concrete slope protection on both sides of a creek in Barangay Mawate, Dingalan, Aurora.

Overflowing of the creek is expected to be prevented when the slope protection project is completed in July 2023, effectively protecting residents as well as the section of Dingalan-Umiray Road that crosses the body of water.