Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Vince Dizon announced Monday the creation of a national task force to institutionalize waterway clearing and cleaning efforts aimed at mitigating perennial flooding across the country.

The initiative, titled “Oplan Kontra Baha,” was established through a special order signed 14 January. Undersecretary for Special Concerns Charles Calima Jr. will lead the task force, which will be replicated across all 177 DPWH regional offices.

Dizon said the program follows a directive from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to address flood-prone areas in Metro Manila, Metro Cebu and Bacolod City.

The task force is mandated to coordinate with the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

Its mission includes dredging, cleaning estuaries, declogging drainage lines, and desilting waterways and Dizon cited that the strategy also incorporates science-based projects, the removal of illegal structures in waterways, and stricter enforcement of solid waste management in partnership with local governments.

The task force has been given until July to complete its initial mission and submit a comprehensive report on improvements and resources used.

In Metro Manila, priority projects include a drainage improvement effort along G. Araneta Avenue in Quezon City. This project involves replacing a narrow 36-inch canal with two 1.5-meter drainage pipes.

Dizon also ordered the dredging of the heavily silted San Juan River and requested funding for a pumping station to provide a permanent solution for flooding in that area.

Since the launch of the program in early December, the DPWH National Capital Region office has recorded over 1,474 cubic meters of declogging and nearly 3,796 cubic meters of desilting.

Operations are also moving forward in Metro Cebu, where clearing activities are ongoing in the Guadalupe, Mahiga, Kinalumsan, Mananga, Butuanon and Cotcot rivers. Dizon reported that 10,200 cubic meters of garbage and debris were removed from Cebu waterways during a recent 15-day operation.

In Bacolod City, the department aims to clean 169 kilometers of rivers and streams, including Banago Creek and the Mandalagan and Sum-ag rivers, along with 116 kilometers of urban drainage systems.