The Bacolod City Government said that they target to remove about 2 million cubic meters of waste from rivers and creeks in the ongoing major dredging operations, following the massive floods brought about by Tropical Depression Verbena.
In its official statement, Mayor Greg Gasataya said that the city government wants to approach the flooding problem on a scientific level amid calls for accountability from several sectors.
“ We now have additional equipment needed for the dredging and clearing of waterways since the last time these operations were conducted was way back in 2016 and 2017 ,” Gasataya said.
Yesterday, Gasataya and Lone District Rep. Alfredo Abelardo Benitez attended the alignment meeting with officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), led by Undersecretary for Special Concerns Charles Calima, for the implementation of the “Oplan Kontra Baha” initiative in the city.
“ We held an alignment meeting to synchronize efforts for the rollout of Oplan Kontra Baha. The DPWH presented the short-term interventions that will begin with immediate dredging, declogging, and desilting works ,” Benitez added.
Today, a total of 3,000 beneficiaries of the Department of Labor and Employment’s Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) program facilitated by Benitez’s office were deployed to clean the waterways in various barangays.