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Clean-up of Aklan river tributaries up

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Philippines
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Govt. Philippines
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By Venus G. Villanueva

KALIBO, Aklan, July 28 (PIA6) -- The provincial government of Aklan, through its Aklan Rivers Development Council (ARDC), will be spearheading a clean-up drive of the Aklan River’s tributaries located in the municipalities of Libacao, Madalag, Malinao, Lezo, Banga, Numancia and Kalibo, Aklan on August 14, 2015.

This activity, to be joined by an estimated 1,000 participants, was set during a recent launching of the Mass-Based Disaster Risks Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation (DRR/CCA) Project at the Kusina Sa Kalibo organized by the Provincial Planning and Development Office (PPDO) here.

The project, according to Engr. Roger M. Esto, PPD Coordinator, will serve as the people’s contribution to help reduce the incidence of flooding/soil erosion; the community’s contribution to help protect/conserved and preserve the environment and in helping promote and enhance everyone’s participation to development and disaster risk management.

Flooding and soil erosion has been a perennial problem in Aklan for years, especially during the strong typhoons that occurred in the province which caused deaths, mostly by drowning, like in the case of Typhoon Frank with 52 deaths and 2 still missing as of this time, according to Galo Ibardolaza, Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) Executive Officer, who showed a PDRRMO presentation on the DRR/CCA at the launching.

The clean-up of Aklan tributaries is aimed to clear the waterways of debris so that water could flow smoothly when heavy rains come.

The activity was set in response to the latest pronouncement of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysicial and Astronomical Services (PAGASA) that the rainy season has already started and that 10 to 15 tropical cyclones may enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) from May to October this year.

During the clean-up, participants who are nearest to their areas will be the ones to clean the river tributaries as they are familiar with the places.

The Aklan River has tributaries in Libacao, Madalag, Malinao, Lezo, Banga, Kalibo and Numancia, the towns traversed by the Aklan River before it goes out to the sea.

Besides the members of the ARDC, PDRRMC, the MDRRMCs of the respective municipalities and provincial and municipal officials and employees, tapped to help in the clean-up are students of colleges and universities who are enrolled under the Civic Welfare Training Service (CWTS).

Meanwhile, as Executive Director of the ARDC, Atty. Allen S. Quimpo stressed the importance of the clean-up of the tributaries as this is very vital for Aklan, being always ravaged by typhoons, and called for effective measures for a community-based approach in disaster preparedness. (JCM/VGV PIA6 Aklan)