DAVAO CITY — The provincial government of Davao del Norte debuts its Watermaster, a mobile amphibious multipurpose dredger intended primarily for the Libuganon River in Tagum City, the water basin of said province.
The Watermaster is for dredging, piling, raking and and more. It can dig From dry ground to 6 meters depth.
The multi-million equipment, according to Governor Edwin I. Jubahib “is our response to the flooding problem which is affecting many towns of the province, it will work hand in hand with our campaign in responding to the problem on climate change and our solid waste management programs to cushion the impact to our people.”
The budget for the purchase of the equipment was charged against the provincial calamity fund.
Last month, the provincial government declared the province is under a state of calamity after the PHP50.3-million damage in agriculture and infrastructure due to sporadic flooding..
The Davao del Norte Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office said the affected local government units are the towns of Asuncion, Kapalong, Santo Tomas, New Corella, Carmen and Tagum City.
The Watermaster will effectively remove silt, sediment and other impurities from the river.
“By dredging the rivers, there would be an improved flow of water and prevent flooding,” Jubahib said.
The purchase will support the province’s “Oplan Kanal (Channel)” program which entails regularly desiltation in major rivers.
In Carmen town, 40 familes from Barangay Mabaus recently participated in flood drill simulation exercise, part of the Scaling Up Community Resilience (SCORE) Building to Disasters in the Davao Region to enhance the capabilities of communities to reduce risks of natural hazards.
