Bislak river at present. (Photo by Jojo Cumlat)
LAOAG CITY -- Local officials and residents of Vintar, Ilocos Norte want the re-channeling of Bislak River to spare dikes and rice fields from further damages when it swells.
During the onslaught of the southwest monsoon and enhanced by Tropical Depression Luis, some residents in the low-lying areas of Vintar town were among the hardest hit due to the swelling of the river.
While showing a development plan for the proposed dredging of the river, Vice Mayor Amado Victor Racimo, in an interview Wednesday, said the Ilocos Norte government has already initiated a move to help in the dredging activity.
As of this posting, Racimo said a backhoe operator from the provincial government was deployed at the Bislak River to start the re-channeling of the river.
Meanwhile, provincial engineer Cecilia Gagarin said she has already coordinated with the Department of Public Works and Highways on the immediate rehabilitation of a damaged seawall in Barangay Caruan, Pasuquin town.
At the height of prolonged heavy rainfall over the weekend, some 12 families in the coastal village of Caruan were forcibly evacuated as the seawall collapsed. Two other houses made of lightweight materials were also totally destroyed. (PNA)
