City awaits clearance to resume dredging of creek
City Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) head Engr. Noel Hechanova said they are still waiting for the clearance from the Environmental Management Bureau (MGB) of the DENR to resume the dredging of the Dungon Creek which was postponed after several mangrove plants were destroyed.
The dredging work was stopped for more than a month now. The P50 million dredging work was meant to ease flooding in Iloilo City.
Hechanova said the clearance would be issued after the MGB completes their inventory of mangroves damaged by the project’s contractor when they started the dredging works along the riverbanks of Bolilao, Mandurriao.
He could not exactly recall on how mangroves were uprooted. Initially, there were 38 species of mangroves that were inconsiderably uprooted during the clearing works. The dredging works was stopped after residents of Bolilao complained on the destruction caused by the contractor on the mangrove areas.
Hechanova said they are working hard to resume the dredging works after several punong barangays in Mandurriao complained about the delay. The delay might affect the low-lying barangays in Mandurriao when flood hits the city.
The environmental department conducted a probe on the destruction of the mangroves along the riverbanks of Bolilao. Hechanova did not comment on whether the contractor would be penalized for the destruction it caused to the environment.
The conservation and preservation of mangroves is covered by Philippine laws. There are laws which prohibit the cutting of mangroves. The Revised Forestry Code or the Presidential Decree 705 deals on the retention and exclusion from pond development of 20 meter-wide mangrove strip along shorelines facing oceans, lakes, etc. Republic Act 7161 also prohibits the cutting of mangroves.
