11,000 families at risk city needs to sell lots for anti-flooding projects

CEBU, Philippines - About 11,000 families or at least 50,000 individuals whose houses are situated in flood-prone areas of Cebu City are always affected every time there is a heavy downpour, said City Engineer Kenneth Carmelita Enriquez.

Mayor Michael Rama said members of the Cebu City Council should already help him solve the problem by implementing projects like the rehabilitation of drainage systems, and the improvement, widening and dredging of creeks and rivers.

Enriquez said the necessary projects that will answer the flooding problems of the city cost several millions or even billions of pesos and the Cebu City Government does not have the needed money.

Rama said he will ask the city legislators to support his planned projects by authorizing him to sell some of the city-owned properties to have enough revenue that can be used to implement the needed anti-flood projects.

The properties that the mayor wants to sell include the city's four-hectare lot in North Reclamation Area, another lot adjacent to the main entrance of Waterfront Hotel and Casino, the lot that used to be the CitiCenter Commercial Complex lot in Barangay Kamagayan and the lots at the South Road Properties.

The city engineer said the City needs at least P23.6 million to rehabilitate the Bulacao creek that affects 2,306 families whenever there is heavy downpour. Another P95 million is also needed for dredging of the Tagonol waterways where 1,620 houses usually flooded during rain.

Enriquez said the city needs P617 million for the rehabilitation of the Kinalumsan river that passes through Natalio Bacalso Avenue in Mambaling that always overflows and affects the houses of 700 families.

In Guadalupe river, Enriquez said the City will need P94.6 million for the channel improvement because everytime it overflows during heavy downpour, some 650 families suffer.

Enriquez added that there are 1,011 families that are affected every time the Parian Creek, the waterway that passes beneath the downtown department stores, will overflow. The City needs P69.5 million for it.

She added that about 3,800 families are always affected if the narrow Lahug river overflows along Barangays Zapatera, Lorega-San Miguel, T. Padilla and Tejero. The City also needs about P684 million for the rehabilitation of the said creek and another P762 million for the same project for the Mahiga Creek, particularly along Mabolo.

Everytime the Mahiga Creek overflows, about 1,160 families living near the waterways and nearby lowland areas are affected.

Meanwhile, aside from the drainage projects, the Department of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW) needs P1.3 Billion for the concreting of the barangay roads and another P21 million to implement the mayor's project to connect the city's barangay roads to the provincial roads in Consolacion and Compostela.

According to Enriquez, most of our roads are no longer in good condition that is why millions of pesos are needed for rehabilitation.

Enriquez said her office will also ask for the purchase of 23 units of various heavy equipment that will cost about P130 million. But the city engineer said the budget will be divided to a three-year period or until 2016, the last year of Rama's second term as mayor. – (FREEMAN)