The rehabilitation of the Butuanon River is one of the most complex river restoration efforts in Cebu, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Vince Dizon said, citing the river’s narrow channel and dense concentration of informal settlers along its banks.
Dizon made the assessment following his recent inspection of major rivers in the province, comparing the Butuanon River’s condition with other waterways affected by flooding during Tropical Cyclone Tino last November.
According to Dizon, the river has significantly narrowed over the years due to encroachments, making it more vulnerable to flooding during heavy rainfall.
“In Butuanon, it is a little more complicated because it is narrower and there are so many settlers, so the river has really shrunk,” Dizon said.
He stressed that the most urgent short-term solution before the rainy season is to widen the river’s waterway to allow floodwaters to pass more freely.
Areas where houses have already been washed away or cleared must be protected and declared no-build zones to prevent reoccupation and further narrowing of the river, Dizon added.
He assured affected families that the government is exploring ways to provide permanent housing for those displaced by the rehabilitation efforts.
“I will talk to Secretary Engineer Jose Ramon ‘Ping’ P. Aliling, and I already spoke to the LGUs involved to find land for housing for the displaced families,” he said.
Beyond repairs, Dizon said the DPWH is looking at ways to expand sections of the river and reduce the speed of floodwaters, which he identified as a major cause of damage during Tropical Cyclone Tino.
“The disaster was not caused by the volume of water alone, but also by the speed at which floodwaters flowed downstream,” he said.
He added, “We need to find land where we can recover space so that the water will disperse. Widening the river and slowing down the water are key objectives.”
The DPWH is also studying the possibility of building retention facilities where floodwaters can be temporarily held during heavy rainfall to reduce downstream impact.
Dizon said engineers are tasked with designing solutions that may involve repairing existing structures while adding new protective structures at higher elevations.
“We can provide more protection on a higher level in order to expand the river. The key now is to expand the river,” he said.
However, he acknowledged funding challenges, noting that no budget has been allocated for flood control projects this year.
To address this, the DPWH plans to use savings from 2025 and projected savings for 2026 to finance the needed mitigation works.
Dizon has instructed DPWH engineers to fast-track the preparation of final plans for the Butuanon, Mananga, and Cotcot rivers, with final engineering plans expected by February.
The DPWH assessment covers the Butuanon River stretch from Barangay Malubog to Barangay Talamban in Cebu City and from Barangay Canduman to Barangay Paknaan in Mandaue City.
Apart from the Mananga River, the DPWH is enforcing no-build zones along the Butuanon River to increase its flood-carrying capacity and protect existing flood control structures. (SBA)
