By Benjamin Cuaresma
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Agriculture (DA) is studying a P150-million plan to transform the flood-prone Candaba Swamp in Pampanga into a vast canal network that could serve as a water-storage, irrigation and agricultural transport system.
The feasibility study, being undertaken with a Vietnamese university and engineering contractors, is expected to be completed by the end of the year and will determine the proposed project’s final design, cost and funding structure.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the proposal calls for canals about 100 meters wide and seven meters deep, large enough to accommodate vessels and connect with existing tributaries.
“These are not small canals,” Tiu Laurel said Monday.
The proposed waterways would cover the roughly 6,000-hectare Candaba Swamp and surrounding areas, providing additional capacity to hold excess water during periods of heavy rain.
Under the concept, diverting water into the canals would also allow portions of the swamp to dry out and potentially be converted into agricultural land.
The DA said the project could address two persistent problems in Central Luzon: recurring flooding and the limited agricultural use of large areas of land.
Beyond flood control, the canal system could provide farmers with an alternative way to move their harvests.
Instead of relying solely on roads, agricultural producers could transport crops and other products through the waterways, creating a logistics network modeled in part on the Mekong Delta in Vietnam.
The Mekong Delta is considered Vietnam’s rice-producing heartland and has a network that connects about 1.5 million farmers with rice traders and processors, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.
Tiu Laurel said the DA has already presented the Candaba proposal to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who is considering other long-term measures to address flooding that repeatedly disrupts economic activity in Central Luzon.
The DA is also examining similar possibilities in other major marshes and river basins, including the Agusan and Lingasnan marshes and the Lagayan River Basin.
The Candaba study will determine whether the proposed large-scale canal system can ultimately move from concept to a viable infrastructure project, including its final engineering design, cost and financing arrangement.
ia/xf
