DENR to start massive cleanup of Calumpit River to reduce flooding in Bulacan

 

 

The more than eight-kilometer stretch Calumpit River in Bulacan will undergo massive cleanup beginning this month to reduce flooding incidences in low-lying areas and to fast track the rehabilitation of Manila Bay areas in Central Luzon.

 

During his recent visit in the province, Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu stressed that the need to haul submerged garbage in the Calumpit River was crucial to prevent flooding due to clogged waterways.

 

"Massive cleanup operations that involve desilting and grubbing of waste materials will unclog our waterways and bring back the depth of our river system that will prevent the overflow of a great body of water especially during rainy season," he explained.

 

The Calumpit River is a tributary of the larger Pampanga River, and the town itself serves as a natural catch basin for floodwaters coming from Nueva Ecija and Pampanga.

 

The first phase of the cleanup project will transpire in the 1.5-kilometer stretch of the Calumpit River that covers barangays of Sapang Bayan, Gatbuca, Frances, and Poblacion.

 

Cimatu added that clearing the Calumpit river system would likewise benefit other flood-prone towns in Bulacan such as Hagonoy, Paombong and some parts of Malolos City.

 

Paquito Moreno, Jr., executive director of the Department of Environment and Natural (DENR) here, explained that the bathymetric study of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau in Region 3 showed that more than 300,000 cubic meters of garbage and silt was found in the Calumpit River, where a thick accumulation of admixed sediments was observed in the stretch along the Gatbuca Bridge.

 

"Garbage-free waterways will not only mitigate flooding during the onslaught of typhoons, but it will also reduce the pollution of river systems in Bulacan that directly drain to the Manila Bay," he said.

 

Aside from the close coordination with local government units, the DENR also partnered with GM Faustino Construction, Inc. to accelerate grubbing and hauling activities in the Calumpit-Angat River System.

 

The said construction company would provide free utilization of its equipment and workforce to facilitate grubbing and transfer of silt materials to containment areas.

 

Since the Manila Bay rehabilitation program started on 2019, the DENR has collected 168,562 tons of wastes from more than 22,580 estero, river and coastal cleanups conducted in Bulacan, Bataan, Pampanga, Tarlac, and Nueva Ecija. (-30-)