A province-wide ‘whole-of-government and convergence approach’ involving the provincial government, local governments and national government agencies is needed to effectively address Pangasinan’s recurring floods, Vice Gov. Mark Lambino said on Monday (Aug. 24).
‘There should be a province-wide flood mitigation strategy in which local governments work together rather than pursue isolated solutions to a problem that does not stop at political boundaries,’ Lambino said.
Flooding is an annual problem in Pangasinan, damaging infrastructure and causing losses to the agriculture and business sectors.
Recent rains brought by the southwest monsoon (habagat) and tropical cyclones ‘Luis’ and ‘Maymay’ inundated 150 barangays in 12 towns and three cities, leaving several roads impassable for days.
Pangasinan is among 18 provinces identified in the National Adaptation Plan as highly exposed and vulnerable to the effects of climate change, including flooding, according to Ronnel Sopsop, Ilocos regional executive director of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
Carlos Tayag, Ilocos regional director of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau, said nearly half of Pangasinan is susceptible to flooding because the province is bounded to the east by the Cordillera mountain range, from which rainwater drains toward the Pangasinan plains.
‘Runoff generated from upland areas is conveyed downstream into Pangasinan. Urban and low-elevation areas provide favorable conditions for water accumulation and overland flooding,’ Tayag said.
Sopsop and Tayag explained the factors contributing to flooding during the ‘Question Hour’ of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan on Monday.
Pangasinan is traversed by three major river systems, all of which have headwaters in the Cordillera and drain into the Lingayen Gulf.
These are the Agno River, whose delta is the Limahong Channel in Lingayen; the Sinocalan-Pantal River, which drains through the Sabangan River in Dagupan City; and the Bued-Cayanga River, whose delta is in San Fabian.
Because these river systems cross several towns and cities, Lambino said the local towns and cities must coordinate their flood mitigation efforts.
‘The solution of one town cannot be uncoordinated with the solution of an adjacent town,’ he said, pointing out that a flood-control measure in one locality could worsen flooding in another.
‘If the solution of one town is to close off a river so it will not get flooded, what happens to its neighbor?’ Lambino said.
He cited the towns of Calasiao and Binmaley, where floodwaters eventually flow toward the Lingayen Gulf through the Sabangan River in Dagupan City.
Both towns were affected during the recent flooding because floodwaters flowed slowly toward the gulf, Lambino said, citing the need to improve the capacity of the Dagupan waterway.
Even if Calasiao and Binmaley dredged their respective rivers, he said, the flooding problem could persist if the downstream waterway could not efficiently carry the water out to the gulf.
‘That is why there is a need for inter-LGU and inter-agency cooperation to mitigate flooding,’ Lambino said.
He said the whole-of-government approach should include national agencies such as the DENR, National Irrigation Administration (NIA) and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), alongside the provincial and local governments.
The provincial government has also requested copies of reports from a vulnerability and risk assessment (VRA) being conducted in the province so these can be incorporated into a broader master plan for flood mitigation.