THERE are three areas in Barangay Tisa, Cebu City that get flooded whenever there’s a downpour.
Tisa Barangay Captain Reynato Pacaña said on Friday, Aug. 26, 2022, the perennial problem usually starts at Santa Teresita Village with the floodwater going to Sitio Tambisan before exiting at La Paloma Village.
Pacaña was interviewed during “Kumusta Kap,” a weekly program of Superbalita Cebu that discusses pressing issues in barangays like garbage, light posts, drugs and flooding, among other things.
“Actually our barangay may be sitting at a lower elevation, which would explain why these three areas get inundated with water every time it rains,” he said in Cebuano.
He said it often floods even when it doesn’t rain that hard. An ongoing road project only exacerbates the problem, he added.
“Many barangay captains have tried to address the matter. Some had come up with solutions. When I was still a member of the barangay council back in the ‘90s, we were able to implement a drainage project and installed 60-inch culverts. But the population of the barangay has grown in the last 20 years. Even the mountains are full of houses,” he said.
The barangay currently has a voting population of 30,000.
Pacaña said flooding is not confined to these three areas.
“Some of the new subdivisions have yet to construct a drainage system. That’s what we are looking at right now. We have ongoing projects like road-concreting. So we develop the roads, then we install a drainage system,” he said.
Flood mitigation
The village chief said this will improve the flow of water from elevated areas like Sitios Mohon 1 and 2 and South Hills Subdivision that end up in Santa Teresita Village.
Pacaña said one of the major contributors to flooding is the garbage that clogs up natural waterways and culverts.
“One time while we were clearing a canal, we found a sack full of garbage, a refrigerator and a trunk of a coconut tree obstructing the flow of water,” he said.
Shortcomings
However, Pacaña admitted that the barangay has its shortcomings, especially when it comes to garbage collection.
He said not all their garbage trucks are roadworthy. Some are in need of repair.
That’s why Pacaña called on residents not to dump their waste indiscriminately. They should secure their garbage if these are not collected on schedule, he said, adding that it’s better if they keep the garbage inside their properties until these are collected.