Monday, 02 November 2009 00:00 [ manilatimes.net ]
An expert from the Department of Public Works and Highways over the weekend said that the low-lying areas of Valenzuela City, Obando and Meycauayan towns in Bulacan province will continue to remain prone to flooding.
“VOM [Valenzuela, Obando and Meycauayan] areas will continue to suffer perennial knee- and chest-high flooding due to high tide and strong rains, until such time that we construct flood-control facilities there,” said Carla Bartolo, the flood-control project director of Camanava.
Camanava stands for Caloocan City, Malabon City, Navotas City and Valenzuela City.
Earlier, the Department of Agriculture reported that some P3.2 billion in agricultural produce was lost to tropical storm Ondoy, with Bulacan’s palay (unhusked rice) and other crops hit hardest.
“We recommend the immediate construction of the second phase of the Camanava Flood-Control Project to stop perennial flooding in Valenzuela City and Bulacan,” Bartolo said in a statement.
She added that the proposed second phase of the project would reduce flooding in about 21 square kilometers of flood-prone areas in Valenzuela and Bulacan.
Bartolo said that the VOM Flood-Control Project Phase 2 has a wider scope than the Camanava Flood-Control Project Phase 1.
Phase 2 would involve construction of pumping stations, independent floodgates, draining mains, river improvement works and improvement of river channels.
Phase 1 is said to have saved Caloocan, Malabon and Navotas from being flooded at the height of Ondoy.
It was financed by Japan International Cooperation Agency.
BERNICE CAMILLE V. BAUZON
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