THE Cebu City Council wants the Department of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW) to update on the drainage master plan of the city.
In an approved resolution, Councilor Joel Garganera said they were informed that the City has no updated master plan at present.
“With the rapid upstream of economic and infrastructure development of the city, an unprecedented scale building activity has reduced the capacity of the ground to absorb rainwater. Most of the rivers and waterways of the city has been obstructed due to open dumping of solid waste, lack of drainage and easement, which leads to flooding,” read portion of the resolution.
In an interview, Garganera said the master plan is important considering that flooding remains the top most problem of the city.
“Everything we do are mere palliative if we don’t have a master plan. We want to know if restoring our waterways is part of the plan of this administration. From the budget he passed to us regarding rivers or creeks, it seems he doesn’t have the political will to do so. Floods are here to stay,” he said.
Garganera said Mayor Tomas Osmeña is not serious in addressing the problem on flooding.
“He’s been our mayor since 1988, is this the kind of legacy he wants to be remembered to the future generations including the unborn? Floods affects everyone, from business, health, transportation to school kids,” he said.
Also in the resolution, Garganera said flooding causes large-scale social consequences and its immediate impact include the loss of life, damage to property and deterioration of health conditions of the residents due to water-borne disease.
At present, Osmeña earlier approved the creation of a task force that will take charge of flooding concerns in the city and to ensure that all drainage systems are regularly maintained.
The Menos Baha Task Force is tasked to declog and desilt drainage systems, especially in flood-prone areas, construct drainage systems, repair existing drainage lines and manholes, clean and deepen creeks, and spread and educational advocacy on proper waste disposal.
The task force is jointly supervised by the DEPW and the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office.