Contractor vows to clear reclaimed area below Carpenter's Bridge
China-International Water and Electrical Corporation vowed to speed up the pile driving works at the Carpenter's Bridge in Tabucan, Mandurriao for them to clear the reclaimed portion of the Iloilo River before the onset of the rainy season.
This is to prevent the possible occurrence of flooding in the nearby areas due to the constriction of the river.
City Environment and Natural Resources (CENRO) chief Noel Hechanova said they were assured by the contractor of their plan to immediately clear the area reclaimed for their "crane way" after the pile driving works.
Hechanova, who is also the executive director of the Iloilo River Development Council, said the people have to bear the temporary effects brought about by the reclamation. There are fish pond operators who complained that their fish ponds dried up due to the reclamation.
The fish pond operators complained that the reclamation constricted the river flow, thus affecting the volume of water that runs at the Iloilo River. The quantity of water that passes the river channel lessen because of the reclamation. The decrease in water affected their catch.
Hechanova allayed the fears of nearby residents about the possibility of the river to overflow during the rainy season as the contractor will clear the area before the month of June.
The contractor piled bed of rocks and soil to construct a mini-road to accommodate the heavy equipment they are set to use for the pile driving works. The China-International Water and Electrical Corporation resorted to such reclamation process to speed up their work.
China-International Water and Electrical Corporation that is the contractor of the P230 million Iloilo Flood Control Project. The project package includes the construction of a new bridge between the district of Molo and Mandurriao. The bridge will replace the old Carpenter's Bridge.
The construction of the new bridge is under Phase II, Contract Package No. 2 of the Stage 1 of the Iloilo Flood Control Project. The construction started last March 1, 2006. The target date for the completion of project is February 12, 2009.