Relocation best solution to flashfloods

Relocation may just be the best recourse to prevent more lives taken by flashfloods that threaten those living alongside and over waterways in the city.

Not only because those living alongside and over waterways are violating the laws, the city may need enough time to acquire the P2 billion budget to implement the comprehensive drainage plan for the city.

Engineer Mike Cale, the city's consultant in drafting the comprehensive drainage master plan, told the City Council that the first and second stages of implementation will need at least P500 million each, which is on top of the P13 million that the city allocated for the feasibility study of the project.

So far, 90 percent of the P13 million has been disbursed.

But Engineer Kenneth Enriquez of the Department of Public Works and Highways said the sizes of the existing drainage should be determined so that the city can proceed with the bidding of the project's materials.

Later this month, all parties involved in the implementation of the project will sit down to discuss the comprehensive drainage master plan.

During the council's regular session the other day, Councilor Procopio Fernandez proposed that all barangay officials should signify their approval of the master plan so that no one should be blamed later on.

The problem of the city's drainage system has persisted since heavy rains resulted waterways to overflow and produce flashfloods. Recently, six people were killed when flashflood hit Sindulan Creek in barangay Mabolo last week.

The city engineer's office earlier concluded that the reduction of the waterway due to houses built above the Sindulan Creek made floodwater to overflow.

In a report submitted to the Cebu City Disaster Coordinating Council, the city engineer's office "highly recommended" that families living directly at the waterway should be relocated because the volume of water coming upstream will significantly increase during heavy rains.

Because of this, the office recommended the removal of at least 960 houses in the south district and 1,693 in the north district that are situated above rivers and creeks.

Vice Mayor Michael Rama reportedly said they would give these residents until Friday next week to relocate otherwise they would face demolition. And because the city does not have an adequate relocation site, Carillo said the residents might need to occupy their respective barangay halls. - Joeberth M. Ocao/LPM