LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – The numerous landslides that occurred in the different parts of the province that claimed 25 innocent lives at the height of Tropical Cyclone Ineng should be a wakeup call for concerned government agencies to revisit the implementation of major infrastructure projects and assess the applicability of appropriate environmental laws to prevent further loss of lives and damage to properties in the future onslaught of natural calamities,” Gov. Nestor B. Fongwan said here recently.
Fongwan wrote a letter to Environment Secretary Ramon Paje in order to assess the need to issue the appropriate environmental clearance certificate (ECC) or certificate of non-coverage (CNC) to major road projects, especially widening works that tend to disturb the stability of mountain slopes, so that appropriate mitigating measures will already be outlined to prevent the occurrence of numerous landslides that greatly affect the state of economy of the people.
“I do not believe that major infrastructure projects provincewide were issued the required ECCs or CNCs that is why contractors were not able to anticipate the heavy damages to their works because of their failure to institute appropriate mitigating measures to prevent the occurrence of landslides that inflicted heavy losses in the province,” Fongwan stressed.
In the case of the huge mountain slide along Camp 7, Kennon road at the height of the weather disturbance, the governor underscored the problem was that the contractor disturbed the stability of the slope but failed to immediately institute the appropriate measures through the construction of sturdy slope protection walls that could have prevented the occurrence of bigger and continuing landslides that impede the smooth flow of traffic along the major roadline.
He claimed the recent landslides that transpired in the province should be a cause of alarm among experts from concerned government agencies, thus, the need for the environment and public works department to revisit the programs of work of their projects and the incidental ECC or CNC required so that there will be a holistic approach in addressing the threat that the project poses to the safety of motorists and even the workers of contractors to be assigned in their projects.
According to him, project planners must closely work with the DENR in order to project the occurrence of over saturation of the soil that would result to untoward incidents compromising the safety of the people in the affected areas.
He admitted that one of the causes of the occurrence of numerous landslides provincewide was the over saturation of the soil considering that from August 21 to 24, the recorded rainfall reached over 570 ml. compared to the requirement of 150 ml which was pegged as the 24-hour rainfall threshold in the city.
According to him, people must also be aware of the state of the area where their structures are located so that they could immediately seek the advise of technical people on what would be the applicable mitigating measures that would be put in place in preparation for the occurrence of much stronger rains in the region.
Fongwan claimed climate change is now taking its toll on human beings that is why people should also be vigilant and prepared in order to minimize the effects of disasters to life and limb in the future.
By Dexter A. See
