Planned river dredging necessary, says La Union town

INQUIRER FILES BAUANG, La Union – Faced with opposition against a plan to “dredge” Balili River that traverses this town, Bauang officials said this initiative will solve flooding. The river is heavily silted and quickly overflows during rainy season, causing flooding in the town, according to Municipal Administrator Ronald Lee. READ: Zambales dredging blamed for uprooted trees, coastal erosion Article continues after this advertisement He said the Sanguniang Bayan (municipal council) has issued a “no objection resolution” for the project, but a desilting – not dredging – program and river reinforcement would be undertaken by different agencies and the provincial government. Environmental group Koalisyon Isalbar ti Pintas ti La Union (KIPLU), Inc. expressed “deep dismay” at the council’s “no objection” resolution” for dredging the Balili River channel and delta. The group said the resolution, “as currently worded, demonstrates a lack of discernment, inadequate safeguards, and a troubling disregard for genuine public consultation.” “It authorizes dredging without requiring a comparative assessment of nature‑based solutions such as riparian restoration, reforestation, constructed wetlands, mangrove rehabilitation, and upstream sediment control measures that can reduce flood risk while restoring ecosystem services, ” KIPLU says. Balili River, also known as the Naguilian River, has its headwater in Baguio City. The river discharges down the Benguet municipalities of La Trinidad and Sablan before entering La Union and draining into the West Philippine Sea through Bauang. It has a total length of 62.7 km (39.0 mi). Article continues after this advertisement Lee said Bauang had decided to pursue the project, “but it is a multi-agency project.” “I used to be against the project too, but there are scientific studies showing that the river is heavily silted and needed to be desilted so water can flow freely to the sea, ” he said. Article continues after this advertisement Lee said, “Balili river used to br so deep we can dive into the water from the bridge. Now the water in most areas of the river is only waist-deep, and there are almost no more fish there, only shellfish.” In a statement, KIPLU, said the project has “vague environmental safeguards.” “The phrase ‘stringent measures’ (to safeguard the river) is insufficient without specific Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) requirements, turbidity and biodiversity monitoring, seasonal work windows, and a clear plan for safe disposal or beneficial reuse of dredged material,” it said. Lee said the materials taken from the river will be used to reclaim the barangay Pilar which is continuously shrinking because of coastal erosion. The environmental group still wants immediate suspension of any dredging permits or contracts until a transparent, independent comparative assessment (cost‑benefit and multi‑criteria) of dredging versus nature‑based solutions is completed and publicly released. Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again. Your subscription has been successful. The Bauang government did not say when the project was supposed to commence. /jpv