Bicol River dredging begins

The Philippines’ Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) yesterday announced that dredging work on a narrow section of the 94-kilometer Bicol River is set to begin this week.

The main goal of these dredging operations is to restore the river’s natural flow rate and minimize flood risk.

Under the official cleanup plan, some 58,235 cubic meters of deposited sand will be removed from the middle portion of Bicol River in Camaligan, Camarines Sur.

DPWH-Bicol Region Assistant Director, Gerald A. Pacanan, said that the dredging can be completed in 52 days if bigger machinery is tapped – alongside the two excavators deployed to the project.

With the current equipment, dredging will take 281 days, he said.

Mr. Pacanan added that the dredging will “require a depth of five meters” to restore the river’s natural flow rate.

The Bicol River is the eighth-largest drainage basin in the country.