Sunday Essay: The land of false hope

THE local disaster coordinating body has recorded 404 flood-prone areas in Davao City, including subdivisions, sitios and puroks.

Operations officer Pepito Capili of the Davao City Disaster Coordinating Council (DCDCC) said that of these flood-risk areas, 139 are in District 1, 138 in District 2, and 127 are in District 3.

"These are according to the seismological mapping. We documented the susceptibility of the areas in the city, or the likelihood that water will gather in these areas," Capili said.

Roseville subdivision in Barangay Angliongto is one of those listed in District 2.

The subdivision was developed by Eliazar Villarosa in 1993. It is divided into two phases. Phase 1 is comprised of at least 500 homes and Phase 2 with at least 600 homes.

According to Arthur Villaruel, president of Roseville Homeowners Association, they have been experiencing floods in the area because of unclear drainage system and substandard canal structure implemented by their developer.

Villarosa has already faced a number of cases in the court filed by the homeowners themselves. However, Villarosa is nowhere to be found now and the problem still remains.

"Everytime there is heavy downpour, I find a hard time sleeping as I anticipate a massive flood in our subdivision," Sgt. Raul Navarro, a resident, said.

In the history of Roseville subdivision, the December 11 flooding was the worst. Typhoon Pablo brought a lot of damage to the residents' lives, may it be physical or psychological.

"Sa tuwing may baha, Hindi ko maiwasang matakot para sa pamilya ko. Kung sakaling mawala ang lahat saan kami pupulutin? Talagang mahirap," Racklyn Ronquillo, a resident, said.

It cannot be denied that indeed flooding has its detrimental effects. People affected by floods are often apprehensive about the potential, long term adverse effects of exposure to contaminants, mould, and toxic substances that may be present in their homes after the clean up.

For most people the emotional trauma continues long after the water has receded. Making repairs, cleaning up and most importantly moving on with life with almost nothing.

As regards with this problem, the local government is now finding modern ways to control it.

According to Engineer Andrew Lepardo, operations head of the drainage maintenance section, they are presently creating an inventory of the existing drainage system in the city especially in the barangays.

Once gathered, the data will be employed through digital mapping where the drainage flow direction, existing outfall and drainage profile can be viewed in the map.

"The map can be done by using GPS or Global Positioning System and through profile surveying," Lepardo said.

He admitted that the existing drainage lines are already 30 to 50 years old hence there is a necessity for a new comprehensive study that will come up with a new master plan for the barangay's drainage system.

One of the preliminary steps is the visit of a team from the Bureau of Designs- Department of Public Works and Highways central office to take a look at the initiative.

Another step taken to address the drainage problem is for new structures being built in Davao City to have drainage permits that the builders must secure before starting with the construction.

The drainage permit requirement is a drainage plan which includes a hydraulic computation that aims to measure the amount of water that the structure will divert to the drainage line.

In case they will determine that there is excessive water outflow, the Drainage Maintenance Section can recommend engineering interventions to minimize the load of water flowing to the existing drainage lines.

Aside from modern technology, Lepardo said that the key to having good drainage is to practice discipline particularly in throwing garbage properly. He said that about 60 percent of the materials extracted by drainage maintenance crews are considered as garbage and trash.

Now, with the help of the government and the proper waste disposal of the residents, people at Roseville will eventually deplete the fear they feel everytime rain gushes through.

The residents must also realize that in working through this problem, it is not solely dependent on the government but also to them. They must work hand in hand to be able to completely eradicate the pressing issue.

As Maria Cantwell said, "It is when the government and its people work together that the power to change tomorrow is fully grasped." (Jessica Marie R. Caliso)