MEYCAUAYAN CITY, BULACAN, Philippines – Key flood control dams in this city, severely damaged by Super Typhoon Carina (international name: Gaemi) and the southwest monsoon last month, will be repaired this year with funds from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) disaster relief fund.
A list of the damaged levees has already been sent to the headquarters and the Office of Civil Defense for urgent repairs, said Melquiades Sto. Domingo, DPWH deputy regional director for Central Luzon.
Sto. Domingo said his office is working closely with the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) to expedite the process, and depending on budget allocation, the repair work is scheduled to be completed this year and in 2025.
READ: 2 Bulacan dams release water due to heavy rains from Carina
“Some projects are earmarked for next year’s budget, while others will hopefully be funded from the disaster fund this year,” he said in a recent interview.
George Santos, head of the DPWH Second District Technical Office, also assured that funding for the necessary repairs has already been prioritized.
Last week, Meycauayan Mayor Henry Villarica expressed confidence that the DPWH would expedite levee repairs this year to prevent another catastrophic flood in the city.
Worse than “Ondoy”
Villarica reported that 80 percent of the city was under water up to 3.66 meters (12 feet) last month due to the failure of levees that could not withstand the strong current from neighboring cities of Metro Manila and Bulacan and rivers overflowing their banks.
He said the floods in July were worse than those during Typhoon Ondoy (international name: Ketsana) in 2009, pointing out that the water level in Carina was one meter higher.
“The water level caused by Carina here in Meycauayan was one meter higher than the floods in Ondoy. The entire fourth district was under water and we in Meycauayan were the hardest hit,” Villarica said.
According to the mayor, the levees collapsed under the force of the water and some were too low to hold back the floodwaters from the rivers.
As a result of the recent floods, 146 cases of leptospirosis occurred in Bulacan and 19 people died from the disease. Most of the cases were recorded in Meycauayan and Marilao.
Your registration could not be saved. Please try again.
Your registration was successful.
