Fishponds, siltation worsened CLuzon flood – geologist

Siltation and the improper operation of fishponds along the Pampanga River Delta compounded the flooding in Central Luzon, an expert from the University of the Philippines National Institute of Geological Sciences (UP-NIGS) said Tuesday. Fishponds along the river delta between Bulacan and Pampanga obstruct the flow of water from Candaba in Pampanga province to neighboring Calumpit town in Bulacan and on to Manila Bay, said UP-NIGS geologist Mahar Lagmay in an interview aired on GMA News’ “24 Oras" newscast.
The clogging eventually leads to flooding in parts of Central Luzon, Lagmay said. In another interview with GMA News, urban planner and architect Nathaniel von Einsiedel said the authorities must lessen and restrict the number of fish pens in the flood-prone area. “Itong mga fish pens, ito ang nag-o-obstruct sa paglabas ng tubig-baha. ‘Pag nag-low tide na sa Manila Bay, technically puwede nang lumabas ang tubig-baha eh. Pero dahil dito sa mga fish pens na obstruction, hindi mabilis makalabas ang tubig-baha," von Einsiedel said. Experts also attributed the Central Luzon floods to the siltation in rivers due to soil erosion in denuded mountains, among other things, according to the “24 Oras" report. Thus, government needs to regularly dredge affected rivers, according to experts. Outdated dam protocol Over the past few days, other experts and government officials also attributed the Central Luzon flooding to the release of water from six Luzon dams. During the Senate briefing of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) on Monday, Senator Loren Legarda blamed the Philippines’ outdated dam protocol for the floods that were brought by Typhoons Pedring and Quiel last week. In a report Tuesday on GMA News TV’s “News To Go" newscast, National Power Corp. officials said dam authorities released only 200 cubic meters of water per second from Angat Dam last week or a mere four percent of the water released from San Roque Dam in preparation for Typhoon Pepeng in 2009.
With or without dam water Napocor hydrologist Romualdo Beltran said the area would have been flooded with or without the release of water from Angat. “Kahit po hindi mag-release ang Angat, natural pong phenomenon, bababa po ang lahat ng tubig-ulan doon po sa area na 'yon," he explained. In relation to the Central Luzon floods, the Aquino administration is considering the creation of an agency in charge of operating the dams all over the Philippines, particularly during typhoon seasons. Such an agency shall be modeled after a similar office in the United States, which is in charge of deciding when the dams should release water, Science Undersecretary Graciano Yumul Jr. said. “Somebody has to make that call," he added. On Tuesday, the Palace said the President appointed a water czar – Public Works and Highways Secretary Rogelio Singson – who would serve as a point person for water-related issues, such as the release of water from dams. While the discussions go on in search of the reasons for the flooding, villagers overwhelmed by the Central Luzon floods remain trapped on the roofs of houses and in evacuation centers with little food and even smaller space to move around. — VS, GMA News