Flooding in Pangasinan
Lesser floods in Pangasinan during the past two years had been attributed to cleaner rivers and waterways.
This was after a total of 181 kilometers of rivers had been been cleared of obstructions as a result of intensified river clean up drive launched by the provincial government since 2009.
Avenix Arenas, spokesperson of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (PDRRMC), said the clean up drive launched by Governor Amado Espino Jr. three years ago not only restored the eco-system in these rivers but also minimized flooding.
Spearheaded by the Task Force Kalikasan, the river clean-up was undertaken along the river systems in Binmaley, Lingayen, Bugallon, San Fabian, Labrador and San Carlos City.
Previously, these rivers were teeming with illegal fishpens put up by different persons and used by them for many years in raising milkfish.
But all these were dismantled by Task Force Kalikasan with stern warnings to the owners of these contraptions not to put them back or else they could get arrested.
After the clearing operations, these rivers were dredged to remove the silt that had accumulated in their beds for years.
Arenas said the rivers of these towns had been restored to their previous state and anyone is now free to fish using the conventional method of fishing with the use of nets and even hook and line.
On top of that, said Arenas, the incidence of flood had been minimized as there is now free flow of water in these rivers.
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