STO. TOMAS, Pampanga – Thick layers of water hyacinths, a waterlily-like plant growing in tributaries had reportedly contributed to the flooding in the City of San Fernando and the low-lying areas in Pampanga province.
Public Works officials, local government units and business leaders have said water hyacinths along the riverway have contributed to the flooding in the province. A team from the DPWH, Pampanga Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. and the municipal government here inspected on Monday clearing operations at the Sto. Rosario Pau River.
Mayor Johnny A. Sambo, PamCham chairman emeritus Liberato “Levy” P. Laus, DPWH Region 3 Director Antonio Molano, Pampanga First District Engineer Rico Guilas, volunteer flood czar Mariano Castro, among others, agreed to a multi-sectoral effort to solve the problem on water hyacinths blocking the flow of water from the City of San Fernando to the Sto. Rosario Pau River.
Water hyacint is similar to a waterlily but has longer and thicker stalks.
Water hyacint roots and stalks have piled up so thick that any person can walk on top of it without sinking into the water and created a virtual dam that blocked the river causing massive floods.
Two heavy equipment were already deployed in the area to start clearing a virtual sea of water hyacints that hamper the river flow.
One of the equipment is a Water Master, a spider-like machine that has its own floaters and two hydraulic legs that allow it to easily maneuver or anchor itself steadily on water, and a backhoe arm to haul out debris.
Consuming 15 liters of diesel for every hour of operation the machine owned by the DPWH regional office is a welcome addition to the backhoe on barge sent by the city government of San Fernando to initiate the clearing operation.
However, Sambo said that for the clearing to be completed in one month, at least four more equipment are needed to help haul out the water hyacint.
Dredging operations, he added, will follow after the clearing but will require more time than the removal of the water plants.
For his part, Laus said that they will seek for the institutionalization of annual funds for the maintenance of rivers particularly the regular clearing of water hyacints and other obstructions.
“This (river obstructions) has become an annual problem and government only acts when the problem is already here. There should annual allocations for river upkeeps so that even before the rains begin our rivers are free from obstructions,” Laus said. –Albert Lacanlale