Acting on the appeal of the Pampanga Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Governor Dennis “Delta” Pineda and top officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways in Central Luzon (DPWH 3) agreed on actions to reduce flash floods in this Pampanga business and government capital.

“Andami na pong nagrereklamo sa business sector. At kailangan na rin ho sigurong pagtulungan talaga. Kailangan na rin hong mabigyan kaagad ng solusyon. At sayang ho, maunlad na lungsod tapos sa ganitong problema, hindi ho natin kaagad mabigyan ng solusyon,” the governor replied in answer to questions by the media.

The meeting, held on Monday at the Capitol, focused on immediate and long-term solutions to floods mainly affecting the Dolores section of the Jose Abad Santos Avenue (formerly the Gapan-San Fernando-Olongapo Road) and Lazatin Boulevard.

The governor and the DPWH agreed to assess the conditions of waterways directly draining out the floodwaters from the City of San Fernando and desilt those, and clean existing drainage canals, according to Melquiades Sto. Domingo, DPWH 3 assistant regional director.

Long-term actions include upgrading structures so these could take in bigger volumes of water, and constructing urban drainages that serve as catchments, he said.

Governor Pineda also sought to build a pumping station that would drain to Gugu, a creek that has turned into a river after a series of Mt. Pinatubo lahar flows in Bacolor.

“Nagpa-design po ako sa DPWH at nagpabigay po ako ng estimate kung magkano, at pagtutulungan po namin ang funding para mag-operate po kaagad ang pumping station na ‘yan,” the governor said.

The flood-control measure are feasible especially with enough funds, said DPWH 3 regional director Roseller Tolentino.

“We really need a huge amount para ma pondohan ang ating pumping station, na siyang magiging isa sa primary solutions para ma-drain natin ang mga tubig,” he added.