MAHAPLAG, Leyte – A flood control project in this town is saving residents living along a river bank and prevents flood waters in reaching to the national highway.
The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) regional office funded the P12.5 million flood control project aim to prevent raging flood water from the Layug River not only houses along river bank but also to the town proper.
The construction of the flood control is one of the priority projects under the administration of Mayor Daisy Lleve, said Erwin Walis, the municipal planning and development officer and at the same time the disaster risk reduction and management officer.
“If we didn’t came up with this project, maybe the whole town proper will be washed out. So the initial action of the LGU was to loan at the Department of Finance through the municipal development fund worth P47 million, then later DILG came with P12.5 million and then the Department of Public Works and Highways,” Walis explained.
Nelia Ritana, whose house is located along the river bank, said that she feel secure now that a dike was constructed at their place.
“Even if there is a typhoon and flooding, I no longer worry because this flood control is protecting us. I can now sleep well at night unlike before that I have to monitor if the water level in the river had reached my house,” Ritana said.
Poblacion village chief Carolina Bonafe said that before the flood control was constructed, some of the more than 4,000 residents would immediate look for place to evacuate during bad weather.
And in one of these instances, five houses located along the river bank were swept away by the flood to the neighboring town of Abuyog, said Bonafe.
“After this flood control project was constructed, the villagers would stay at their houses even there is flooding but they continue to monitor the water level,” she added.
Walis said that the LGU had already submitted a proposed plan for the extension of the flood control project.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
