Governor Fernando leads inter-agency program to control flooding and restore rivers in Bulacan

CITY OF MALOLOS– In a breakthrough response to the call of the national government through the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Administrative Order 2020-07 for the restoration of the natural state and water flow of heavily silted river channels, Bulacan Governor Daniel R. Fernando, together with the national government offices and local officials, announced the start of the province-wide implementation of the Bulacan River Dredging and Restoration Program.

Addressing Bulacan congressmen, mayors, vice mayors, and other officials at the project launch held at EDSA Shangri-La Hotel earlier today, the governor presented what he envisions as a concrete and long-term solution to decade-old problem in Bulacan.

According to the governor, in order to restore the heavily silted rivers of the province particularly the Angat River, Pamarawan River, Malolos River, Hagonoy River, and Guiguinto River, massive dredging is needed to open a navigational channel in the offshore delta. 

“The plan is to initially dredge the mouth of the river to enable us to enter smaller inland waters throughout the province. Environmental dredging combined with management of flood water movement, through the construction of floodwalls and floodgates will be the key to solve the decades-old flooding problem in the province,” he said.

Fernando is hopeful that the effects of the river restoration, through the help of their private partner TCSC Corp.,will be immediately felt in the coming rainy season.

“Ang mga expert engineers and geologists mula sa TCSC Corp. ay gagamit ng state of the art power dredging vessels na may kakayahang mag-dredge ng 1,500 hanggang 2,000 cubic meters per hour kumpara sa mga karaniwang draga na halos aabutin ng isang buwang operasyon para ma-dredge ang katumbas ng isang oras na volume na ito. It’s a game-changer,” the governor said.

The project will bear no cost to the Provincial Government, instead it will increase the income of the province through revenue sharing by commercial disposition of the dredged materials from the rivers to support big reclamation projects.

The plans and design of the river restoration program will be carried out with care for the environment. According to TCSC Corp. a systematic, scientific and ecologically oriented deepening of heavily silted rivers in Bulacan will be carried out so that the flow of water from its tributaries will gradually return to normal. In this way, it is expected that residents will feel the positive impact of the project in the entire province this coming rainy season. It is expected that flooding will be alleviated in the coming years as the carrying capacity of the rivers and other waterways is completely restored.

“Ang ibang dredged materials ay gagamitin din sa pag-rerestore sa ating wetland ecosystem na ilalagay  sa lugar na hindi magiging sagabal sa daloy ng tubig palabas sa ating mga ilog. Magtatanim po tayo ng mangroves dito upang mapangalagaan ang kalusugan ng ating coastline ecosystem, at bilang biodiversity support as a breeding and feeding ground para sa iba’t ibang klase ng isda at marine species. This agricultural wetland is also proposed to enable solar and wind farming in the near future to provide carbon-free energy expected to cover about 50% of the energy needs of our fast-globalizing province,” the governor further explained.

Finally, the governor calls on every Bulakenyo, citizens and officials, to do their part to put an end to the decades-long massive flooding problem in the province.

“Hindi po tayo titigil hanggat hindi natitiyak ang mga maliwanag at konkretong hakbang upang mabilisan at permanenteng masolusyunan ang problemang ito. Gusto po nating makatiyak na sa gabay at awa ng Diyos, at sa ating pagkakaisa, ang Lalawigan ng Bulacan sa ating panahon ay tuluyan nang lalaya sa napakatagal nang suliraning ito na labis na nagpapahirap sa ating mga kababayan,” he said.

Fernando serves the chairperson of the Inter-Agency Committee, while the DENR Region 3 Regional Director act as the vice chairperson, with the Department of Public Works and Highways Region 3, DENR Environmental Management Bureau Region 3, and DENR Mines and Geosciences Bureau Region 3 as members. ###