Mahiga Creek, Banilad wetland set to be dredged — Mandaue gov’t, DPWH

The Department of General Services in Mandaue City and DPWH discuss preparations for the dredging operations that will be conducted in Mahiga Creek in Brgy. Subangdaku and Wetland Area in Brgy. Banilad. | Mary Rose Sagarino

MANDAUE CITY, Cebu — The Mandaue City government and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) are set to conduct dredging operations in Mahiga Creek in Barangay Subangdaku and Wetland area in Barangay Banilad.

Engineer Marivic Cabigas, head of Mandaue’s Department of General Services (DGS), said that the dredging operations would be part of the city’s preparation for the rainy season. 

READ: Mandaue City plans to remove fish pens and desilt wetland to prevent flooding

Cabigas said that they already tackled the preparations for the dredging operations with DPWH during their Beyond Border meeting on Thursday, February 29.

Mayor Jonas Cortes on Friday, March 1, said that they would want to utilize the hot weather to declog these areas and other drainage and manholes in the city.

“Mao ni perfect timing nga magdredging kay ting-init, dili kay sa ting-uwan. Mao na atoang gipaningkamutan nga before ting-uwan mahuman atoang dredging,” said Cortes.

(This is the perfect timing to dredge because it is dry season, not rainy season. That is why we are working hard that the dredging will be done before the rainy season.)

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Cortes said that these areas and other waterways were already silted and needed to be cleaned and dredged.

DGS Head Cabigas said that the DPWH would primarily implement the dredging while Mandaue would manage the disposal of waste from the dredging and the fuel of the dredger.

They would also coordinate with Cebu City since Mahiga Creek in Subangdaku was the boundary of the two cities.

Cabigas said that the dredging operation would be conducted in April since there were still structures in these areas that would need to be cleared especially, the fishpens at the Wetland in Barangay Banilad and Cabancalan area.

The wetland with an area of 146,270 square meters, functions as a catch basin that holds rain and run-off water coming from its neighboring areas such as Cebu City.

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