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Thursday, August 31, 2006
No cure for flooding: Tomas
Except perhaps making a river that directly goes to the sea, Cebu City Hall has “no cure” for flooding, especially in the downtown area.
And because of numerous developments in the uplands, “it is going to get worse.”
Mayor Tomas Osmeña said City Hall could ease the situation by introducing measures, but the problem will remain.
The City Government could observe how often a certain place gets flooded and how much time it takes for water to drain so it could plot the acceptable flood level.
Osmeña said in a press conference yesterday building more canals and placing more culverts will not help except make rainwater flow faster downstream.
He likened the situation to a glass of water that could be emptied in two minutes by placing a hole in its bottom.
If more holes are made, emptying the glass takes less time but the same amount of water still goes down.
The mayor said that aside from the great cost, building bigger drainage will not solve the problem.
“It’s very hard, if not a waste of money. You cannot just widen a culvert, you have to start again If you put one beside it, your next problem is right of way, and that problem takes at least a year (to solve),” he said.
City Planning Officer Paul Villarete, in a separate interview, said he learned from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration that Tuesday night’s rain was unusual.
The average annual rainfall is just 1.6 centimeters, but Tuesday night’s rain reached seven centimeters in just an hour.
The heavy rain and the fact that structures encroach into creeks and other waterways could have caused a wall in Sitio Sindulan, Mabolo to topple onto a nearby house, killing six.
Several areas of Mandaue City also went knee-deep in water yesterday dawn.
Flooding in different barangays was mostly blamed on blocked waterways and poor drainage.
The incident caused damage to property, mostly home appliances, and lack of sleep among residents because the water entered their homes.
In Barangay Cambaro, residents of New Ville experienced the worst flood since a private company took out the culverts where water was supposed to pass through during rains.
The area is along G. Ouano St., which Mandaue City Mayor Thadeo Ouano passes by in going to and from his house in Barangay Opao.
Graft Investigation Officer Vicente Roble Jr. of the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas was not spared as floodwater remained inside his house until about 10 a.m. yesterday.
His refrigerator, washing machine and other pieces of furniture were destroyed.
Residents of Consuelo Village in Barangay Basak also experienced flooding that was as high as about three feet.
Water was at its highest level around 2:30 a.m. and subsided only about three hours later.
Roble showed Sun.Star Cebu his record of the flooding that occurred in their area last June.
That month, it flooded at least four times while there was none in July.
Cambaro Barangay Captain Vicente Domasian went to the site yesterday morning and reported the incident to Mayor Ouano.
Domasian said the City Government has already issued an order to the company that built a warehouse to put back the 36" culverts they removed during the construction.
He commented that before, there was no flood even if it rained the whole day.
Now, 30 minutes of heavy rain could easily flood their areas.
In Cebu City, personnel of the City Disaster Coordinating Council regularly monitor flood-prone areas during heavy rains.
They conducted relief operations in the Sindulan area after six people died.
Councilor Gerardo Carillo said the team noted that water in Barangays Zapatera, Basak-San Nicolas and Basak-Pardo and Sitios back Pepsi and Sindulan in Barangay Mabolo rise because of the clogged drainage and creeks in the areas.
He cited the need for the massive cleanup of all waterways in these barangays as garbage thrown in canals and creeks are the major cause of the clogged-up drainage facilities.
The CCDCC will meet with Vice Mayor Michael Rama today to discuss the updates on the areas affected by the flooding this week.
In 2003, the Office of the Civil Defense called on local government units to clean clogged rivers, drainage system and creeks.
That year, the Disaster Operations Center identified at least 15 flood-prone areas in Cebu City, after it conducted a resurvey after a flashflood swept away a 22-month-old girl in the swollen Guadalupe River.
These are Sitio Lutao-Lutao, Barangay Labangon; Campo 8, Lahug; Kinasang-an, Pardo; Barangay Tejero; Hipodromo; Sikatuna; Spolarium St.; Duljo-Fati-ma; Sitio Huyong-Huyong, Alaska, Mambaling; La Paloma, Labangon; Tres de Abril St.; Sta. Teresita Village, Tisa; Tagunol, Kinasang-an, Pardo; White Road, Inayawan; Happy Valley, Barangay Calamba; and Lopez Jaena St.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) 7 identified six more flood-prone areas: Barangays Guadalupe, Sudlon, Pasil, Duljo, Mambaling and Colon St.
According to a DENR 7 report, Busay River is the source of flood during the rainy season, posing danger to residents in low-lying areas.
Mayor Osmeña, for his part, identified Barangay Talamban as flood prone. He wants to build four or five mini dams in these areas.
The dams will control the volume of water going to canals, and divert water from the uptown barangays to the Guadalupe River, instead of flowing to the downtown area.
Cebu City Hall has put on hold its drainage projects for almost two years until its P5-million drainage master plan is completed.
The City, in 2004, signed a P13.6-million contract with consultants Genson-TCGI-Woodfields-Spaces Joint Venture to study the city’s overall drainage system.
The study covered the city’s 79,000-square-kilometer land area and 50 urban barangays.
Results of the study are being reviewed by the City Council and barangay officials. (RHM/AAG/GAC)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (August 31, 2006 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
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