In the past days, there has been relentless rainfall in Cebu due to the La Niña phenomenon, which is characterized by unusually cold temperatures in the Equatorial Pacific. Horrific flooding has affected a large part of Metro Cebu and the province.
The state weather bureau’s Visayas station has described the rainfall volume in the last two weeks as “abnormal” because it has exceeded the normal rainfall volume for the month of August, an aggravation caused by La Niña. The people have been familiar with the problem of flooding, and that problem has become normal for them.
Tagging along with the province’s progress and growing population is the deteriorating environment caused by climate change.
Several local government units (LGUs) in Cebu have implemented drainage projects but some of these seemed to have no effect at all. When it rains hard, flooding in some areas is inevitable. One could say that millions of public funds have been wasted.
Considering the extent of flooding’s impact, the lack of a comprehensive drainage system is one of the basic problems that are common among the neighboring cities of Mandaue, Cebu and Talisay. It is time for these three LGUs to take a coordinated step to solve the problem.
The reaction of the Mandaue City Government to restore and fully implement its comprehensive drainage system is commendable. This came after some areas in the city were submerged in chest-deep waters minutes after successive downpours hit Metro Cebu over the last two weeks.
But if this comprehensive drainage system is only within Mandaue City and not connected to the Cebu City drainage system improvements, then there is a high possibility that it will fail. The fate of Cebu City’s drainage system projects will also be doomed if these are not connected to the drainage plans of its neighboring LGUs of Mandaue and Talisay.
The long-term solution, for sure, will not be achieved that easily. The path towards there is long and winding if LGU leaders are not of one mind.
For now, people can do nothing but be more patient and accept the “band-aid” drainage projects. The other thing that people can do is to help clean the environment and get rid of trash.