Pampanga River slope protection segment collapses; 10 families evacuated

At least 30 meters of the 100-meter-long slope protection project along the Arayat segment of the Pampanga River caved in on Aug. 17, with government engineers blaming it on saturation of the embankment.( Photo courtesy of Masiglang Arayat Facebook page)

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO –  At least 10 families in Barangay Candating in Arayat, Pampanga have been evacuated following the recent collapse of a 30-meter segment of a slope protection project on the banks there of the Pampanga River 

The village council ordered the evacuation because the riverbank continued to sag on Monday, according to Almer Miranda, chief of the Pampanga 1st District Engineering Office of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

Enil Jan Quito, the project engineer, said the project was implemented under the 23CG0041 Flood Management Program—Construction/Rehabilitation of Flood Mitigation Facilities within Major River Basins and Principal Rivers.

In an August 18 report, Quito confirmed the collapse, noting that the installed sheet piles were bent due to the embankment saturation.

He said it had caused the deadman (or the anchor) to move from its installed place or site and the tension exerted by the weight of the sheet pile and concrete capping.

Water seepage

According to Quito, the “embankment’s saturation was found to be caused by the previous typhoons, and water seepage within the vicinity.”

“We also observed a whirlpool-like phenomenon at the riverside of the sheet piles that might have penetrated the embankment and caused saturation,” he added.

The family of Cang Caparas Nanale, who has turned to social media to ask for help, lost almost 200 square meters of land when the slope protection caved in.

In a statement on Monday, the DPWH said it has started sandbagging operations, which would be carried out by the contractor’s team to temporarily mitigate the impact of the incident and ensure the safety of nearby residents.

The DPWH added that it would also continuously monitor the situation and prepare quick-response assets.