Precarious perch. Shanties at the banks of the Abacan River about to be devoured by rampaging, scouring floodwaters.
Photo Courtesy of Koki Cato
ANGELES CITY – Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan has ordered the demolition of shanties and other structures on the entire stretch of the banks of the Abacan River in this city amid “serious danger of erosion.”
Reports said that 78 of such houses have already been eroded into the river during the monsoon rains since Sunday. No injury was reported.
The Abacan River used to be an active lahar channel emanating from the slopes of Mt. Pinatubo.
“Our concern here is the safety of our people living along the dangerous river bank,” said Pamintuan in his directive.
He stressed that “the city government has to enforce the law,” referring to a local law banning people from living in areas threatened by natural disasters.
“No one can toss the blame to the city government should the worst happen to folk living on the river banks,” he said.
Some 50 houses, mostly put up by informal settlers, were expected to be demolished yesterday and today in Barangays Ninoy Aquino and Malabanias.
A demolition team led by the City Engineer’s Office backed by barangay officials and policemen started tearing down residential units along Abacan River yesterday noon.
As of 2 p.m yesterday, a total of 15 houses had already been flattened by demolition teams, said City Engineer Don Dizon.
The decision to demolish the structures was reached during an emergency meeting which Pamintuan convened with disaster-control officials, the city council headed by Vice Mayor Vicky Vega-Cabigting and concerned community leaders, in the wake of reports that remaining informal settlers on the riverbank were also endangered by the erosion of the banks of Abacan.
Affected residents, Dizon said, did not oppose the demolition operations and that some even assisted in dismantling their houses for use in their new homes in safer grounds.
”No resistance was noticed during the initial phase of the demolition operation,” Dizon added.
Rochelle Aguilar of the Angeles City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office reported that “a total of 78 houses in eight barangays in the city were swept by rampaging floodwaters along Abacan River following massive soil erosion brought about by flash floods triggered by continuous rains since Sunday.”
A total of 276 families were evacuated to safer grounds.
Meanwhile, continuous sandbagging operation was being done yesterday at the damaged portion of Taug Dike after its steel sheet piles collapsed on Tuesday due to cascading floodwaters upstream of Abacan River.
