By John Avena Guillermo
The worsening flooding crisis in Cebu City is a critical failure of urban planning that has far outpaced infrastructure development. Unchecked urbanization is the primary culprit: vast concrete areas eliminate the natural spaces needed to absorb heavy rainfall, quickly overwhelming an outdated drainage system. Major waterways, like the Mahiga and Kinalumsan Rivers, are narrowed by encroachments and clogged with silt and garbage, causing them to rapidly overflow and inundate low-lying neighborhoods.
Addressing the issue requires moving past “band-aid solutions” like simple desilting and declogging. A comprehensive, unified Drainage Master Plan must be prioritized. Crucially, accountability for infrastructure projects -- often delayed, substandard, or lacking necessary coordination -- must be enforced against contractors to ensure public funds are effectively used for quality flood control. Long-term structural fixes are essential, including innovative solutions like building large-scale underground retention tanks to manage stormwater, similar to systems implemented in highly urbanized areas. Without a fundamental shift toward sustainable urban planning that prioritizes green spaces and robust water management, Cebu City will remain acutely vulnerable, risking economic disruption and even “self-destruction” with every major downpour.