As Mandaue City intensifies efforts to address flooding, the local government is lining up a large-scale dredging project along the Butuanon River this year, which officials described as a key intervention to improve water flow and reduce river overflows.
City Administrator Atty. Gonzalo “Sally” Malig-on Jr. said a private company, in coordination with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), is preparing to undertake the dredging works at no cost to the city under a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arrangement.
The proposed project will cover approximately 3.6 kilometers of the Butuanon River, from its mouth up to the bridge along M.C. Briones Street corner U.N. Avenue in Barangay Ibabao Estancia.
Mayor Thadeo Jovito “Jonkie” Ouano is expected to provide further details once final discussions are completed and implementation formally begins.
Malig-on said siltation remains one of the major causes of flooding in the city, particularly during periods of heavy rainfall.
“Dako na og ikatabang kay kahibaw naman ta usa gyud sa makaproblema nga mu-overflow kana man gyung siltation (This will greatly help because we know that one of the main causes of overflow is siltation),” he said.
He added that the city government and the private partner met two weeks ago and are targeting to finalize all arrangements within June before mobilizing equipment and personnel.
Malig-on said the project could become one of the biggest dredging undertakings in Mandaue City and is expected to take around one year to complete once fully implemented.
Preparatory coordination meetings have already been conducted to address traffic management, barangay concerns, and equipment staging areas.
“Hopefully madayon (Hopefully it will push through),” he said.
The planned dredging forms part of Mandaue City’s broader flood mitigation strategy as the rainy season sets in.
Alongside this initiative, the city is also accelerating drainage improvement works in flood-prone areas, including Barangays Banilad and Tipolo.
Malig-on said drainage upgrades along A.S. Fortuna Street in Barangay Banilad are already showing results, with floodwaters receding faster and fewer complaints from residents.
The project is about 80 percent complete, with remaining works focused on connecting the system to Mahiga Creek.
In Barangay Tipolo, a DPWH-led drainage project is now expected to be completed by the end of June after the agency requested an extension.
Once finished, the system will channel runoff water into Tipolo Creek through a private warehouse area.
While acknowledging that flooding cannot be fully eliminated due to weather patterns and climate change, Malig-on said ongoing interventions are helping reduce flood impacts and improve drainage capacity in affected communities.
Photo courtesy of ClimateScan
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