Philippines: City Council Set to Investigate Mindanao River Dredging

The Cotabato City council is set to investigate on the seeming inaction of the central office of the DPWH on complaints about the private contractor’s failure to dredge any portion of the Rio Grande de Mindanao river, reports philstar.com.

“The water level at the portion of the Rio Grande straddling through Cotabato City is almost at level with the ground where there are villages. Once the river overflows, thousands will be displaced,” said 43-year-old Beduh Musib, an ethnic Maguindanaon fisherman.

Cotabato City Vice Mayor Muslimin Sema, presiding chairman of the city council, said the private contractor appeared to be incapable of undertaking the dredging work.

“The construction firm just brought some empty 200-liter fuel drums to be used as floaters and pipes with a diameter of only about eight inches each and made only of plain galvanized sheets at one spot along the river. No work ever commenced yet,” Sema said.

Sema added that local residents are complaining why the two dredging projects to clear portions of the Rio de Grande Mindanao, which have a total cost of P200 million, were awarded to a contractor that does not have dredging equipment.

“We were expecting the contractor would bring in big dredging equipment, large inflatable floaters and giant pipes as conduits for silt dug from the riverbed and to be deposited along the river banks,” Sema said.

[mappress]

Dredging Today Staff, June 5, 2012;