Governor Lilia “Nanay” Pineda had called for the immediate repair of the flood control structure in Barangay Candating, Arayat town.
The governor said the current condition of the structure endangers the lives of 387 families in the area.
Pineda, together with local and provincial officials, inspected the dike to assess its condition on Thursday, July 31.
With the recent southwest monsoon and three typhoons, a big volume of water overflowed from the Pampanga River, endangering some 26 houses near the damaged structure.
“Hindi ito maaaring ipagpaliban. Kailangan ng agarang pagkilos para maprotektahan ang mga tao at kanilang kabuhayan,” she said.
The governor also distributed relief goods to the affected families.
Pineda said she will ask the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to step in for urgent repairs of the flood control structure.
She als called for the dredging in some parts of the river to prevent flooding.
“Kailangan na talagang baguhin ang approach natin. Dapat climate-resilient ang bawat proyekto. Kung kailangan i-redesign, gawin natin,” Pineda said.
Officials from the DPWH 1st Pampanga District Engineering Office said that "the collapse of the dike was caused by a saturated embankment, resulting in the bending of steel sheet piles."
"The saturation was attributed to water pressure from the upstream Pampanga River hitting the structure directly, aggravated by recent typhoons and water seepage from neighboring residential areas," the DPWH said.