DPWH eyes tech options to control landslides
BAGUIO CITY–The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is eyeing modern mountain technologies to solve persistent erosion problems in the Cordillera region.
“Our old practice is no longer applicable at this time … We will be using new technologies, new methods that are sturdier and will last longer,” Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon told reporters after inspecting several rain-induced landslides and rockslides that damaged public infrastructures in Baguio City and Benguet province on Friday.
He noted that while new technologies will be more expensive, they will be cheaper in the long run.
“We repeatedly repair damaged infrastructure after the rains; that can no longer be the case,” he said.
Dizon said the department has included funds for modern technologies in its proposed 2027 budget.
The DPWH chief said they will tap into quick response funds (QRF) to address the damage that has reached about P3 billion in the Cordillera region, using new technologies to ensure that repaired infrastructure lasts for years.
During his inspection at the Benguet-Vizcaya Road along Beckel in La Trinidad, Benguet, where a road slip occurred, Dizon said the slope protection will be installed with a 75-meter-long double-crib wall with a mechanical stability system, estimated to take about 11 months.
The project is allotted P75 million in QRF in next year’s budget.
During his visit to the damaged “curtain wall” in Daclan, Tublay, Dizon said the agency has consulted with Japanese partners that installed the metal curtain wall technology. The Japanese side has committed to making corrections to strengthen the curtain wall further, adding that shotcrete slope protection will be done at the upper portion of the mountain to hold the soil and rocks.
Construction method
Shotcrete slope protection is a construction method in which a concrete mixture is sprayed at high velocity through a hose onto rock or soil surfaces. It seals unstable earth or fractured rock, prevents rain and wind erosion, and stops landslides or rockfalls along roads, hillsides and excavations.
“The order time will take two months, and it will only be then that we can start the repair using (a) P30 million budget. It might take about four months,” he said.
At the strawberry farm, which has suffered persistent flooding for more than 20 years, Dizon said that short- and long-term plans will commence immediately.
He said dredging will be done along Bolo Creek and the Balili River where water from the farm’s canals drains. They will also install a floodgate at Bolo Creek to prevent backflow when the creek swells.
As a long-term solution, a huge drainage canal and various water catchment areas will be constructed at the strawberry farm road leading to the Balili River.
