BACOLOD City Lone District Representative Greg Gasataya has requested the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to investigate, inspect and come up with recommendations of the drainage projects in some areas in the city.
Gasataya said Sunday, March 8, 2020, that he already called DPWH district Engineer Abraham Villareal to inspect the drainage projects along national roads, Lacson Street, Araneta Street, Circumferential Road, Bangga Cory, and other areas that were affected by floods on Friday, March 6, 2020.
He said he also asked Villareal to check the flood walls constructed in the city as well as the major outfalls in various rivers in Bacolod.
"The heavy downpour of rain on Friday equivalent to three days and the high tide resulted to flooding, but it is also noteworthy that the flood waters in the areas with drainage projects subsided after few hours," he added.
Gasataya noted that the flood walls along Lupit River helped a lot especially to the residents in Barangay 39.
Executive Assistant Jose Maria Vargas, cluster head for Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (DRRMO), said that about 52 locations in Bacolod City were flooded Friday night due to heavy downpour triggered by low pressure area (LPA).
Vargas said some flooded locations hit more than three barangays while forced evacuations were implemented in some areas like in Barangays 8, 10, 12, Villamonte, Taculing, and Singcang-Airport among others.
He said there was a rainfall from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday and
the Automated Rain Gauge in Barangay Alangilan recorded a total cumulated rainfall of 102 millimeters or equivalent to three days of rain.
Two persons, one of them a five-months old boy, were found dead after they were swept away by flash floods in Bacolod City Saturday.
Three houses were reported also destroyed by flash floods in the city.
The DRRMO will also hold a meeting with Mayor Evelio Leonardia this week to address this problem.