The Department of Public Works and Highways has created a task force to institutionalize the government’s clearing and cleaning operations in waterways nationwide to mitigate perennial flooding.

Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon said on Monday that he signed a special order on 14 January establishing the Task Force Kontra Baha under the “Oplan Kontra Baha” program. The task force will be headed by Undersecretary for Special Concerns Charles Calima Jr.

Dizon said similar task forces will be replicated in all 177 DPWH regional offices across the country.

Under the directive, the Task Force Kontra Baha will coordinate with the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Department of the Interior and Local Government, and the private sector.

“These agencies shall work together, in partnership with the private sector, to implement the ‘Oplan Kontra Baha: Nationwide Waterways Clearing and Cleaning Operations,’” the order read.

The task force is mandated to hold regular meetings with stakeholders and conduct inspections and validation of accomplishments.

Dizon gave the task force six months, or until July, to complete its mission and submit an accomplishment report detailing improvements, challenges, solutions, resources used, and targets achieved.

The Oplan Kontra Baha program is in line with the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to mitigate flooding, particularly in flood-prone areas in Metro Manila, Metro Cebu, and Bacolod City in the Negros Island Region.

Measures under the program include the cleaning of esteros, dredging and hauling of spoils, declogging and cleaning of drainage inlets and laterals, manual declogging of drainage lines, and desilting of waterways.

“Oplan Kontra Baha not only focuses on dredging, but also includes the implementation of science-based projects, clearing of illegal structures in waterways, and the strict enforcement of proper solid waste management in collaboration with local government units,” Dizon said.

In the first week of December, following the launch of Oplan Kontra Baha, the DPWH-National Capital Region reported more than 1,474.18 cubic meters of declogging, or about 34 percent of its target, and the completion of 3,795.64 cubic meters of desilting in various areas.

Dizon said the public can expect continued action under Oplan Kontra Baha to make communities in Metro Manila safer and more orderly.

Among the priorities in Metro Manila, he said, is the ongoing drainage improvement project along G. Araneta Avenue in Quezon City, which includes the installation of two 1.5-meter drainage pipes to replace the previous 36-inch canal.

Dizon also ordered intensified dredging of the heavily silted San Juan River and the allocation of funds for a pumping station to permanently address flooding along Araneta Avenue.

In Metro Cebu, Dizon said DPWH Region VII continues hauling, desilting, and dredging operations, with clearing activities ongoing along the Guadalupe, Mahiga, Kinalumsan, Mananga, Butuanon, and Cotcot rivers.

He said about 10,200 cubic meters of garbage and debris were removed from waterways in Metro Cebu during a 15-day operation aimed at preventing severe flooding.

In Bacolod City, the DPWH aims to clean 169 kilometers of rivers, streams, and estuaries, as well as 116 kilometers of drainage systems, including Banago Creek, Mandalagan River, and Sum-ag River.