Flooding in Metro Cebu anew: LGUs urged to act as more rains expected

CEBU, Philippines - The heavy rainfall experienced in most parts of Metro Cebu for over an hour early yesterday afternoon was due to the Inter-tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said.

The ITCZ, a rain-producing weather system, appears like a band of clouds - usually thunderstorms - that circle the globe near the equator.

The downpour here and the flooding that followed particularly in low-lying areas in localities near water channels exposed yet again Metro Cebu's drainage crisis.

The prolonged rainfall here affected the towns of Cordova, Consolacion, Lilo-an, Compostela, and Minglanilla and the cities of Talisay, Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue, and Cebu.

Engr. Alfredo Quiblat, Jr., officer-in-charge of PAGASA Mactan, urged local government units to fast track the implementation of their drainage action plans as more rains are expected to pour in the coming months.

Cebu City move

In Cebu City, Mayor Tomas Osmeña said he is planning to hire a technical staff to study the possibility of putting a five story drainage hole under the football field at the Cebu City Sports Center and the Fuente Osmeña Circle.

Osmeña believes rainwater can drain easily into these water catchment basins or drainage holes during the rainy season.

"We have to hire a technical staff to study it. That place is, my best guess, to meeting our objectives, which includes saving on right of way cost, which will be the costliest part," he told The FREEMAN.

Cebu City has been made vulnerable to floods because it is surrounded by mountainous areas.

While admitting that the city needs to catch up on several things needed to address the drainage problem, Osmeña did not miss the chance to blame the previous administration for not implementing drainage projects worth over P300 million.

Quiblat categorized the intensity of yesterday's rainfall, which lasted from 1:02 p.m. to 2:05 p.m., as "heavy" since the amount of rain accumulated for over an hour measured 20 millimeters.

Some of the areas in Metro Cebu, especially in low-lying terrains, suffered from river flooding.

At present, the river and creek systems are constricted due to encroachment of informal settlers within waterways and the non-observance of required easement. The improper disposal of garbage or other waste materials has also contributed to clogging up drainage systems.

Quiblat said Cebu province is forecasted to experience "near to above normal" rainfall condition from October until March. Rainfall intensity may even increase with the presence of other weather systems such as tropical cyclones.

Recommendations

While long term solutions are far from reach for now, Quiblat said LGUs can start clearing waterways of obstructions such as garbage, as well as illegal and encroaching structures restore their normal width.

Oliva Luces, regional director of the Office of Civil Defense, said it would be best if officials of densely-populated areas open talks and resolve the flooding crisis by developing "interconnectivity."

Luces, also the chairperson of the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, said neighboring LGUs should coordinate with each other particularly in their engineering plans optimizing their resources for infrastructure projects to mitigate flooding problems.

Resolving road right-of-way issues and building huge dams have been identified as two of the solutions in addressing the continuing flooding problem. May B. Miasco, Jean Marvette A. Demecillo (FREEMAN)