The Department of Public Works and Highways, together with local government units, will implement a series of immediate, medium-term and long-term measures to address recurring flooding in Dagupan City.
Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon said Thursday that immediate interventions will focus on dredging the Sinocalan River, particularly upstream areas where floodwaters remain for long periods.
He said dredging equipment from both the DPWH and the Pangasinan provincial government will be deployed in the coming days.
The agency also plans to install four mobile pumps to help remove floodwaters from affected barangays. Dizon said gabions will be inspected for possible repairs, while floodgates in Bacayao Sur and Bacayao Norte will be repaired and reopened.
Authorities will also address backflow from the Pantal River in Careenan and Poblacion Oeste.
For the medium term, the DPWH plans to build two water detention basins, one at the city plaza and another at Inarangan Lake. The projects are patterned after the detention system at St. John the Evangelist Cathedral, whose grounds have remained relatively dry during flooding.
Road and drainage improvements along Burgos Street in the central business district are also planned.
Dizon said funding for the medium-term measures will be included in the 2027 budget, with the goal of completing the works before the 2027 rainy season.
For the long term, the DPWH is studying the construction of a man-made lake or detention basin on about 47 hectares in Calasiao.
The project would include a diversion channel designed to redirect water from Calasiao toward the Pantal River before it reaches Dagupan City.
Dizon said the long-term project could take at least two and a half years to plan and complete.
He also appealed for continued cooperation from local governments to support the implementation of the flood-control measures.