Benguet: The completion of a high-grade flood water interceptor pipe along the Bolo creek is expected to alleviate the persistent flooding issues affecting strawberry farms in Benguet, which have long troubled over 700 farmers in the area and other parts of the town proper. Romulado Apalias, acting chief of the planning and design section of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)-Benguet First District Engineering Office, reported to the municipal government that the installation of the pipe is scheduled for completion by November 16.
According to Philippines News Agency, the DPWH’s report aligns with a resolution from the Sangguniang Barangay of Betag, dated September 26, urging a thorough technical assessment of the project’s design and structure to ensure its viability. The technical assessment by the DPWH Benguet 1st District Engineering Office highlighted the project’s potential to reduce flood severity, lower flood depth, and decrease ponding duration, thereby minimizing the time farms remain inundated.
The PHP177-million initiative is among the public works projects in Benguet that Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong examined during his tenure as adviser of the Independent Commission on Infrastructure (ICI), the body tasked by Malaca±ang to investigate irregularities in flood control projects. The Bolo creek, which runs adjacent to the strawberry fields and channels water to the Balili River, has been infamous for flooding the farms during typhoons like Crising, Emong, and Nando. Recently, farmers have reported flooding even during monsoon rains.
Flooding has delayed the strawberry fruit-bearing season to December or even the first quarter of the following year. Previously, strawberry picking began in November, attracting tourists to the town and providing substantial income to farmers and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
The DPWH report noted that the recent intense and sustained rainfall significantly increased floodwater volume, overwhelming the creek’s capacity and causing water to spill into the lower-lying strawberry farms. The project’s main component involves the extension of an ‘armored polyethylene corrugated drainage pipe with a structured wall’ for 348 meters upstream, which will act as a siphoning device to channel water from a higher elevation to the Balili River.
Additionally, the DPWH plans to install a pump at the pipe inlet to manage excess water flow in case the creek’s peak flow surpasses the river’s capacity. The pump aims to enhance hydraulic performance by boosting flow energy, overcoming gravitational challenges, and minimizing frictional losses.
Barangay Betag, which hosts the 44-hectare strawberry farm, stands as the town’s foremost tourist attraction. Mayor Roderick Awingan, having received a copy of the assessment, expressed anticipation for the project’s completion, which is expected to mitigate flooding not only at the strawberry farm but also in other areas of the capital town’s central region. “Hopefully, the project will end the continuous bashing on social media that we receive whenever the strawberry plants get submerged under water,” he remarked.
