Bridge design to be fixed to control flooding

MINALIN, Pampanga—A bridge under construction at the boundary of Minalin and Guagua towns in Pampanga province would be raised by 2 meters to ease the discharge of floodwater flowing out of the City of San Fernando and its neighboring Sto. Tomas town.

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has changed the design of the Sta. Ursula bridge so it would not become an obstacle to the flow of water that flooded villages on Tuesday, according to Antonio Molano, DPWH Central Luzon director.

Concrete girders that blocked floodwater would also be removed, he said.

Continuous rains caused river water to rise beyond the maximum flood level of 17.94 m, the DPWH said.

Because of the concrete girders, water almost spilled downstream of the San Fernando-Sto. Tomas-Minalin Tail Dike in Sapang Labuan, a tributary leading to Pasac River, via the towns of Sasmuan and Guagua, before it drained into Manila Bay.

Two backhoes on barges were sent by the provincial government to help clear a channel on the side of Barangay Sta. Catalina here.

According to the DPWH, the P79.2-million Sta. Ursula bridge project was 77.75-percent complete as of Aug. 11.

In a statement, Vice Gov. Dennis Pineda said the DPWH decision helped ease tension among the three mayors who share jurisdiction in the tail dike.

Sto. Tomas Mayor John Sambo, San Fernando Mayor Edwin Santiago and Minalin Mayor Edgar Flores took different approaches to solve their flood problems.

To avert future conflicts among officials in areas straddling the tail dike, the San Fernando council passed a resolution institutionalizing annual flood summits to tackle common concerns and solutions.

On Wednesday, 136 villages in Bataan, Bulacan and Pampanga provinces remained flooded, according to the Central Luzon Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC).

In Zambales province, residents living around Mt. Pinatubo were asked to be on alert as monsoon rains triggered landslides near the volcano’s crater.

Mayor Doris Maniquiz-Jeresano of Botolan town said villagers had been reporting incidents of loosened soil around Mt. Pinatubo’s crater due to heavy downpour since Tuesday.

Six members of the Mayores family were hurt when debris from a landslide in Purok Libas in Barangay New Cabalan in Olongapo City fell on their house, the RDRRMC said. Four of them were children.

In Bulacan province, crops lost due to monsoon-triggered floods have cost farmers P35 million in farm damages, according to the Bulacan provincial disaster risk reduction management office.

A tornado blew away the roofs of 10 houses in San Miguel town on Tuesday night but no one was reported hurt. The tornado struck at 10 p.m.

In Pangasinan, more than 200 families in four towns and Dagupan City were evacuated as monsoon rains continued to pound and flood the province.

On Wednesday, the Ambuklao Dam in Benguet province discharged water into Agno River when its reservoir level rose to 751.61 masl, nearly hitting its maximum level of 752 masl.

Binga Dam, also in Benguet, had been releasing water since Monday. Reports from Tonette Orejas, Carmela Reyes-Estrope and Allan Macatuno, Inquirer Central Luzon; and Gabriel Cardinoza, Inquirer Northern Luzon