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Friday, July 11, 2003
Soriano proposes flood control measure
By Dino R. Zabala
A WATER reservoir or water impounding area is one way Pangasinan Province, particularly Dagupan City, will be able to solve its perennial flooding problem.
Local government units (LGUs) must consolidate their efforts to achieve the purpose, architect Melbert R. Soriano, consultant to the mayor, said.
Soriano said the Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and other concerned agencies must help, too.
This, Soriano said, is to identify low-lying unproductive agricultural lands that could possibly be converted into a water reservoir or water impounding area, of which the excess water from the river system that causes floods in the low-lying areas would be diverted through man-made channels towards these reservoirs or lagoons.
Moreover, he said, the DA through the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) could conduct a study for the possibility of turning these lagoons or water reservoirs as area for fish breeding and culture, while the National Irrigation Administration could also conduct a study for possible irrigation concerns.
"The LGU, DENR and the private sector could also develop these areas into parks or wild-life sanctuaries, of which could be acquired funding support from the World Wildlife Foundation," Soriano pointed out.
In explaining further his idea, Soriano said the reservoir/water impounding area that shall be created would serve as catch basins that shall absorb the excess water that the river system could not contain passing through the man-made channels. As catch basins, it could also serve as an aquifer recharge area.
On top of this though, the architect said a comprehensive study of the Lingayen Gulf's tidal flow and wave action should not be discounted, as well as a comprehensive of the river system and its mitigation.
Asked why the need for a study of the gulf's tidal flow and wave action, Soriano said, "It seems that mother nature is getting mad with all the wastes being discharged in the rivers that flow out to the sea."
He added that such could be noticed with the waves pushing the sand from the sea to the mouth of the river, eventually blocking the exit of water from the river's mouth, as well as aside from the soil and mud flowing along with the water coming from the upstream.
"This is visible not only within Pantal River's delta, but as well as at the delta's of Limahong channel in Lingayen town and the Cayanga River in San Fabian. Not only the mouth of these rivers have been constricted like Pantal's, but they are also being blocked by the sand that practically comes from the sea," Soriano disclosed.
In the river system mitigation actions that are supposed to be done in the soonest possible time, Soriano agrees that the widening of the mouth of Pantal River is a must. This is to include the widening of narrow portions of the river system; constant clearing of river from hyacinth; limitation of fishpen/fishtraps; and the clearing of man-made obstructions.
Meanwhile, Soriano said the project on the solution to the flooding proposed by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) may not be possible due to some reasons.
He identified these reasons as: a) the proposed course of the by-pass channel collides with the De Venecia Highway and Nel-Ars Subdivision; b) estimated cost of P4 Billion in 1994 could have doubled due to the increase of real property value along the area, and; c) the non-availability of construction funds.
Soriano, a graduate of Bachelor of Science in Architecture, has been working in different parts of Asian countries working either as a design architect, senior designer/project coordinator and an architectural coordinator.
His work experiences took him to Singapore, Thailand, Jubail and Riyadh of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and in New York, USA.
(July 11, 2003 issue)
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