TO ADDRESS Cebu City’s perennial flooding problem, Acting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia is pushing for an updated comprehensive drainage master plan.
The existing master plan, developed decades ago, remains unimplemented and is no longer sufficient due to rapid urbanization, Garcia said on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024.
Garcia aims to initiate a feasibility study for the updated plan by the first quarter of 2025, with a proposed budget of P10 million to P15 million or more. The necessary appropriations will be included in the 2025 annual budget.
The acting mayor said there is a need for a unified drainage master plan that integrates the designs of the Cebu City Government and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
“We really needed that drainage masterplan and kining atung mga ginagmay nga drainage project kay must conform unta sa master plan,” Garcia said.
(We really need that drainage master plan, and these small drainage projects must conform to it.)
The DPWH has the 2016 Comprehensive Study for a Metro Cebu Integrated Flood and Drainage System Master Plan, which includes restoring the city’s major waterways to their original specifications in terms of depth, width, and length.
According to Garcia, the updated master plan is part of a long-term strategy to mitigate flooding in the city, particularly during the rainy season. This includes construction of gabion or mini dams, water impounding and detention pond at the upland areas, and rainwater catchment facilities.
Short-term plans include declogging existing drainage systems and desilting rivers and waterways.
Meanwhile, the City Council has deferred the approval of the P24 million procurement of declogging equipment, pending
further deliberation.
Intensified clearing and recovery operations will continue in the three-meter easement zones along the city’s rivers and waterways. / EHP