THE Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has formed a new task force to institutionalize the government’s clearing and cleaning efforts in all waterways across the country to mitigate perennial flooding. Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon on Monday said that he signed a special order, issued last Jan. 14, creating Oplan Kontra Baha, headed by Undersecretary for Special Concerns Charles Calima Jr. The task force will be replicated in all 177 DPWH regional offices. Task Force Kontra Baha will coordinate with the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), Department of Environment and Natural Resource (DENR), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and 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 will hold regular meetings with stakeholders, conduct inspections, and validate accomplishments. Dizon gave the task force six months to accomplish its mission. He said that the creation of the panel was in accordance with the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to mitigate flooding, particularly in Metro Manila, Metro Cebu, and Bacolod City. Dizon said the measures taken include 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 VCC solid waste management in collaboration with local government units,” he said. Dizon said the project aims to make communities in the National Capital Region safer. Among the priorities in Metro Manila is the drainage improvement project along G. Araneta Avenue in Quezon City, which includes the installation of two 1.5-meter drainage pipes. Dizon also ordered the dredging of the heavily silted San Juan River. In Metro Cebu, Dizon said that the DPWH continues with hauling, desilting and dredging projects. Clearing activities were ongoing in the Guadalupe River, Mahiga River, Kinalumsan River, Mananga River, Butuanon River, and Cotcot River. In Bacolod City, the aim is to clean 169 kilometers of rivers, streams and estuaries, as well as the 116 kilometers of drainage system in the city, including Banago Creek, Mandalagan River, and Sum-ag River.