Calasiao: This town's river restoration project, in cooperation with the provincial government and village officials, extracted a total of 6,000 cubic meters of waste since it started this year.
According to Philippines News Agency, Mayor Patrick Caramat, in an interview on Friday, revealed that this extraction accounts for 56 percent of the town's annual total garbage collection. He stated that over 80 percent of the waste materials consisted of silt and mud, soil, and other materials that had accumulated over time, reducing the river's capacity to flow efficiently.
Caramat mentioned that the extracted waste materials have been repurposed, being provided to schools and residents in need of backfill, as well as the town's material recovery facility. He highlighted the clearing of bottlenecks in the Parongking River and securing over four kilometers of the Marusay River in Phase 1. The project is now moving towards a broader watershed-wide management strategy, with Marusay River Phase 2 targeting a sixteen-kilometer corridor spanning eight barangays.
He also pointed out that the local government has identified 25 creeks and an additional 13 creeks that were not originally on the map. By incorporating these forgotten channels into predictive models, the project aims to prevent illegal dumping and mitigate the risk of unexpected flash floods.
The initiative has extended to cleaning drainage canals, where in the Poblacion area, nearly three kilometers of canal have been addressed, resulting in the removal of 4.5 cubic meters of waste from just 250 meters cleaned.
This comprehensive approach led to the formation of the Calasiao Flood Resilience and Mitigation Management Council, which is tasked with developing a systematic plan to address flooding issues. The project has also created employment opportunities, with the Provincial Government of Pangasinan employing 40 displaced workers through the TUPAD program.
Caramat emphasized the project's long-term benefits, noting that approximately seventy farmers in Barangay Quesban have regained a reliable source of irrigation, which is crucial for safeguarding food supply and protecting local livelihoods.
