The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) regional office on Friday decided to halt the groundworks for the construction of a seawall in Borongan City, Eastern Samar as residents and the local government complained that the project is environmentally harmful.

The decision came after the inspection of the project site in Barangay Lalawigan on April 2, DPWH Eastern Visayas director Edgar Tabacon said.

He said the construction is temporarily suspended to give way to public consultations and “while the proposed realignment of the seawall is still being decided by the DPWH.”

Lalawigan residents and local officials have expressed opposition to the design of the seawall meant for flood mitigation.

Residents claimed the project was poorly planned, adding that the project could destroy coral reefs and affect the livelihood of local fishers.

The project will also affect Divinubo Island residents who have been using the coastal area of Lalawigan for docking their motorboats when going to the city center.

The sentiments of Lalawigan and Divinubo residents were reechoed by city government officials.

“No infrastructure should be permitted to encroach on the reef line,” Borongan Mayor Jose Ivan Dayan Agda said.

Groundwork for the construction of the seawall project started in March and caught the attention of villagers and city government officials after they observed that corals along the shoreline were being extracted.

Agda immediately requested the temporary stoppage of the project and called for a revision of the design that would not affect the beachfront, which is popular among visitors and tourists, including surfers.

The seawall project is to be implemented in six phases with a PHP144 million budget per phase. (PNA)