P5.5B Camanava dike ‘flawed,’ execs claim
More than eight years in the making and yet, they didn’t even get it right.
Officials of flood-prone Malabon City Wednesday described the Camanava (Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas and Valenzuela) Mega Flood Control Project as “full of flaws,” saying it failed its first real test since its long-delayed completion last year.
According to Bong Padua, Malabon public information office chief, several portions of the project’s polder dike in Barangay Dampalit had not been built at the ideal height of 12.6 meters or more.
Problematic
In addition, an estimated five kilometers of the 12-kilometer portion of the dike in the barangay were “problematic,” said Allan Poe of the City Engineering Office.
“The other day, it didn’t even rain but because of the high tide, the water which reached some two meters in height spilled over,” Padua explained.
As a result, Poe said the floodwater in several residential areas in the barangay reached thigh-high levels.
He added that although the flood was not that deep, it would definitely reach higher levels should the rains come.
“If this is what happens without any rainfall, imagine [how deep the floodwater will be in case of torrential] rains,” Poe said.
Officials to inspect dike
According to him, engineering officials will conduct an inspection within the month to determine which portions of the dike need modifications.
Aside from some portions of the dike being lower than the agreed upon height of 12.6 meters, Poe said that the structure was primarily made of mud (earth dike), which would make it easier for rains or floods to slowly wash it away.
He added that as far as he knew, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) was supposed to build a dike made of concrete or much sturdier material.
“They said that the project is finished. But when you say finished, this means that it really is,” he said as he reiterated that the project needed to be improved on.
The P3.5 billion project of the DPWH started in 2003 and was supposed to be fully operational in June 2007.
It was touted as the solution to the perennial problem of flooding in the Camanava area and parts of Bulacan province.
Through the years, however, the cost of the project ballooned to P5.5 billion.
DPWH officials attributed the delay to the presence of informal settlers in the areas covered by the project and changes in site conditions, among others.
