Monday, July 28, 2008 City uses Korean model for river rescue plan
CEBU City officials have started to craft a master plan for the rehabilitation of the Guadalupe River, construction of needed infrastructure, including 11 bridges, and enforcement of the three-meter easement along the riverbank.
Three city councilors and a department head who are on top of the projects hoped to finish it in three years.
Councilor Jose Daluz III said they will pattern the development and rehabilitation of the river after projects in South Korea, specifically the Cheonggyecheon creek in downtown Seoul.
Councilors Daluz, Augustus Pe Jr., Edwin Jagmoc, and City Planning and Development Coordinator Paul Villarete envisioned a clean Guadalupe River with parks and gardens that residents and tourists can enjoy.
They also want to have bicycle lanes on both sides of the five-kilometer river.
The officials likewise want to rehabilitate all 11 bridges crossing the river and put up markers explaining the history, name, and significance of each.
Guadalupe River crosses 13 mountain and urban barangays in the city: Sapangdaku, Lahug, Kalunasan, Guadalupe, Capitol Site, Calamba, Sambag I, Sambag II, Pahina-San Nicolas, Pahina Central, San Nicolas, Pasil and Ermita.
Daluz said that if the City Government wants to clean up the river and the surroundings, it should be serious about removing riverbank dwellers to make way for a three-meter easement on both sides.
“If we really want to rehabilitate the river, we need to have the right infrastructure that will separate the river from the residents so it will not be easy for them to throw garbage into the water,” Daluz told Sun.Star Cebu.
“If we can clean up the riverbank and restore its grandeur, we can have bicycle lanes there and clean parks that the public can really enjoy,” he said.
In a meeting last Friday, the councilors discussed with Villarete and City Hall consultant Valeriano Avila the crafting of a master plan for the restoration and rehabilitation of the Guadalupe River, with Cheonggye-cheon as model.
They reviewed the restoration plans and the condition of the 5.8-kilometer creek in Seoul before and after rehabilitation, which took three years to complete.
In the 1950s, the river was converted into a road, with an elevated highway built over it. Restoration works in the river began in 2003 and the creek is now a major attraction for locals and tourists.
“We saw in the video that the highway was again converted into a river with beautiful gardens and parks around it, where families and students gather. We believe that we can do this with the Guadalupe River and it’s going to be a worthwhile project,” Daluz said. (LCR)
