Valenzuela seeks permanent solution to flooding

Valenzuela City Mayor Sherwin Gatchalian, in a bid to seek a more permanent solution to the flooding in the city and adjacent neighbors in Bulacan burdened by the same problem, met with officials of Obando and Meycauayan yesterday to resolve the issue in the face of bureaucratic ineptness and official pussyfooting.

Gatchalian said he recognizes that the present stop-gap measures in place are simply not enough. He said there is a crying need for a collective effort for those directly at stake.

"A piecemeal application of the solution simply will not do. Solving the flood problem has to be a collective for us in the Valenzuela-Obando-Meycauayan (VOM) grid. Kailangan nating kumilos nang sabay-sabay dahil kahit anong pag-aayos ang ating gawin sa ating nasasakupan, kung sira pa rin dun sa ibang kalapit-lugar na apektado rin, ay magiging wala ring saysay," said Gatchalian.

The mayor said the problem has to be approached on a holistic level. He said meeting with the officials of the similarly-situated neighboring municipalities in Bulacan is a measure he considered in coming up with a workable solution to the flooding.

Gatchalian said only temporary palliatives are within grasp of the local government units considering that a full and permanent solution is way out of its funding capability.

"We still want to pus for a VOM megadike project to complement the Camanava Megaflood Control Project expected to be completed next year," said Gatchalian.

A project profile of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said that under the Camanava Area Flood Control and Drainage System Improvement Project, the official title of the multibillion peso flood control project, the feasibility study of Valenzuela, together with Obando and Meycauayan, will be undertaken under a separate drainage area.

At the height of typhoons Florita and Glenda, major concrete and earthen river dikes buffering low-lying areas of VOM from flooding were breached in several parts leaving several barangays submerged for days, damaging properties and sources of livelihood.

The dikes affected included those along the river of Meycauayan in Bulacan, Palasan, Polo, Tullahan in Valenzuela and Panghulo, Dampalit and Longos in Malabon.

Obando (Bulacan) Mayor Zoilito Santiago said it was the first time as long as he can remember that there was a sudden rise in floodwater in his area this year.

"Noon lang lumagpas ang tubig sa mga pilapil (dikes). Maging sa floodgate umapaw ang tubig," said Santiago.

"After almost three years, ngayon din lang kami binaha nang ganito dito sa Valenzuela," Gatchalian adding that it now takes several days before the water subsides.

"Mabagal ang paghupa ng tubig dito sa amin kumpara sa Obando at Meycauayan. Kapag nag-high tide, mabilis ang pasok sa amin. Ang masama, kapag nag-low tide, naiiwan sa amin ang tubig. Dahil dito, maraming isda sa aming mga palaisdaan ang namamatay dahil sa maruming tubig," added Roberto Darilag, Valenzuela Public Order and Safety Management Office (POSMO) chief. Sandbags, bamboo and other locally available buffer materials were employed as palliatives.

The official also blamed the city’s largely clogged drainage system for the slow draining of the floodwaters.

Meycauayan’s Municipal Engineer Ricardo Sta. Ana said they sought the help of Valenzuela in dredging the heavily silted area of the Longos River between Malanday, Valenzuela and Bangkal in Meycauayan.

A technical working group (TWG) has been formed by the three local governments to undertake an in-depth analysis of the situation and map out an extensive and workable plan for the VOM project.

"It is best that we work together as a team, come up with a long-term viable plan of what we think is best for us and later present it to be national government for action," said Gatchalian.

The TWG is composed of engineers from the three LGUs and representatives from the Province of Bulacan and of the DPWH. The team is expected to turn in the plan in two weeks.