SAN FERNANDO CITY, Pampanga, Philippines — A big mountain of mud was collected by ten dredging machines which the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has absorbed from some parts of Pampanga river where the dredging and desilting is being performed.

In the latest reports of the DPWH Region 3 that since Friday last week they have started working and placed the dredging machines from a 26 kilometer stretch of Arayat-Apalit setback levees going to Pampanga and Bulacan bays.

The dredging of Pampanga River has collected thousand tons of mud that could from a big mountain on the debris which the DPWH has absorb from their vacuums equipment.

The dredging project will be interrupted when typhoon “Ramon” hits a portion of areas in Region 3 especially the West-Northwest of Subic, Zambales on Saturday.

Meanwhile, PAGASA has forecasted that more rains will pour in some parts of Luzon this week, and that will interrupt the dredging and desilting works of the DPWH for at least a day or two.

Aside from the dredging-desilting of waterways the DPWH is now concentrated on the rehabilitation of several infrastructure projects such as the repairing and the construction of roads and bridges which were destroyed by typhoons “Pedring and Quiel.”

DPWH Region 3 have already placed at least 10 dredging machines indifferent areas in Region 3 to undertake desilting and dredging of heavily clogged waterways such as the Rio Chico River in Tarlac, Pampanga River and Bulacan River.

DPWH Acting Regional Director Antonio Molano said that the dredging operation started at Arayat-Apalit setback levee and continuous to the stretch, of Pampanga river going to Manila bay.

Molano said that the dredging equipment and other heavy equipments were placed along Pampanga River and some parts of tributaries rivers and coastal line in Pampanga and Bulacan and other areas in Central Luzon for the dredging works.

It was learned that since Friday the dredging operation was implemented along the Arayat portion of the setback levee.

DPWH director Molano assured that the stretch of Pampanga River going to Pampanga and Bulacan bays will continue of its dredging operations to contain volume of waters from heavily silted rivers, as the main reason of missives flooding.

Meanwhile, the DPWH suspended the Pampanga fourth district asphalting project, after several mayors from Arayat, Candaba, Apalit, San Luis and San Simon earlier reported to the DPWH that portions of the Arayat-Apalit setback levee in their respective towns have been breached.

According to Candaba Mayor Jerry Pelayo, the breaches brought by the flooding to barangays in several towns outside the dike, including Sta. Ana, Mexico, Sto. Tomas, and some areas in the City of San Fernando are all dilapidated.

Pelayo quoted that instead of asphalting the levee, we are requesting the DPWH officials to divert the P72 million asphalting project funds to concrete, elevate the levee, or finds some necessary solution in the flooding problem.