Dredging rush in Davao, Gensan targets rivers after repeated flooding

DAVAO CITY (August 4) — The government has launched emergency dredging and flood-control works in Davao City and General Santos City as authorities scramble to increase river capacity and protect communities repeatedly exposed to flooding during heavy rains.

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said the operations were ordered by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. following recent rain-triggered floods that disrupted communities in parts of Mindanao.

In Davao City, crews are dredging the Talomo River in Barangay Bangkal, where the government plans to deepen and widen the waterway to improve its capacity to carry runoff during intense rainfall.

Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon said the work is intended to improve water flow and reduce flood risks for families living along the riverbanks.

In General Santos City, the DPWH has begun dredging the Makar River in Barangay Labangal to widen the channel and accelerate the discharge of floodwaters during prolonged rains.

But the flood-control push also exposes a larger problem: communities continue to depend on emergency interventions after extreme weather hits, even as flooding becomes an increasingly recurring threat.

In Labangal, the government is also rushing to repair a damaged dike weakened by a powerful earthquake and successive storms. The repair is intended to prevent further flooding and protect nearby residents and property.

The simultaneous projects come as Mindanao communities continue to deal with the effects of increasingly disruptive weather, underscoring the need for flood-control systems that can withstand not only individual storms but repeated shocks.

Road access remains restricted

Meanwhile, the DPWH has temporarily reopened one lane of the Davao-Bukidnon Road at Sitio Marahan, Barangay Marilog Proper, providing limited access while rehabilitation works continue.

Starting August 2, light vehicles have been allowed to pass through the affected section during three one-hour windows:

• 6 a.m. to 7 a.m.
• 12 noon to 1 p.m.
• 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Heavy vehicles remain prohibited from using the temporary access lane.

Motorists traveling outside the scheduled periods have been advised to take alternate routes and follow traffic personnel and road signs.

The reopening is expected to provide some relief to communities and motorists affected by the damaged road, but the restricted schedule also highlights the continuing mobility problems faced by residents in upland and remote areas.

The DPWH said the combined dredging, dike rehabilitation and road restoration efforts are designed to strengthen flood protection, restore mobility and reduce disruptions in communities battered by severe weather.

For flood-prone communities, however, the measure of success will be more than the number of cubic meters of silt removed or roads temporarily reopened.

It will be whether the next heavy rain still turns familiar waterways into threats—and whether communities are finally protected before, rather than after, the flood arrives.