Absence of proper drainage caused Pamutan landslide?

The Cebu City Disaster Coordinating Council suspects that the lack of proper drainage and slope protection are major factors in the landslide that hit the mountain barangay of Pamutan the other day.

Councilor Gerardo Carillo, action officer of CCDCC, said there is high probability that the landslide was due to the fact that there was no definite passage of the floodwater brought about by constant rains the past few days.

Carillo said that because of the absence of proper drainage, it was easier for the water to loosen the soil, thereby, forcing it to slide down the slopes. Loose soil slid from about 600 feet and covered the paved road.

“We have a problem on cross drainage…slope protection is also needed where water can go straight to the drain,” Carillo said.

Heavy equipment was brought to the landslide area yesterday to further clear the road of rubble. Immediate rehabilitation should also be undertaken on the damaged road.

Because the landslide blocked a main road in Pamutan, farm produce were delayed in reaching the Carbon Market in Cebu City as the road was made passable only past 3:00 p.m.

The landslide in Pamutan happened in the area where rocks and soil swamped the road and affected transportation in the barangay during the October 2007 elections.

Pamutan can be reached by passing through barangays Punta Princesa, Buhisan and Toong.

The landslide in Pamutan is the fourth to have occurred in Cebu City since last month. The first was in Sinsin, another mountain barangay, which also covered a main road and forced the city to evacuate at least 20 families to prevent possible accidents.

The second landslide occurred in barangay Lahug when heavy rains caused a big chunk of mud and uprooted bamboos to slide down a hilly riverbank onto a house and trapped two persons inside for at least an hour.

The victims - a woman pregnant for six months and her brother-in-law - were subsequently moved to safety by members of the Emergency Rescue Unit Foundation.

The city has also decided to evacuate the families living along the bank of the Sudlon River, as the area was declared a danger zone. The city said the evacuated families would be made to temporary live in container vans until a permanent relocation site is determined. – Joeberth M. Ocao/MEEV