DPWH projects in Cebu City: Ongoing works causing flood

CEBU, Philippines —  Following the massive flooding incidents the past few days, the Cebu City government will ask the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to expedite the completion of its flood control projects in the city.

Councilor Jerry Guardo, the council’s chairman on the infrastructure committee, had been checking the flooding situation in the city and found out that the ongoing flood control projects in the city is one of the major causes of the flooding as the flow of water in some areas had been constricted.

Among the ongoing flood-control projects in the city includes those in Tejero Creek, Bulacao, Tejero, T. Padilla, Day-as, and Lorega-San Miguel, among others.

“Actually, ang reason sa flooding na na-experience nato sa siyudad is due to ongoing nato nga construction sa atong flood-control project. Makita ninyo no, like in the case diri sa Tejero (besides Tejero Elementary School), unya ang atbang ato ang Bonifacio sa Barangay Parian (which is identified as a frequently flooded barangay),” he said.

Guardo said the waste materials around the project had been used as temporary embankments.

“Wa namay kabutangan. Inig butang man gud nila sa sheet pile, katong mga excavated material wala silay kabutangan, temporary ilang gibutang diri. Ilang i-position ilang mga backhoe,” Guardo said.

In the case of the flood control project in Tejero, the water can only pass through a little portion of the creek.

“Kung inyong tan-awon, ang waste material has already occupied three-fourths sa atong sapa. Definitely, naka-cause gyud na og clog-up kay atong nabilin is only one-fourth. So, ang volume sa tubig nga dako kaayo, ang tendency mao ning mo-bottleneck man diri na portion, so naay tendency na mo-backflow ang tubig unya naa say kusog nga water flow gikan sa bukid mao nay naay tendency na mo-overflow and that resulted in flooding in different areas sa atoang syudad,” Guardo explained.

To address these flooding problems as soon as possible, Guardo said he is going to ask DPWH to expedite the ongoing projects with them.

“Ako lang ipa-expedite sa DPWH kay urgent man ni siya,” Guardo told reporters yesterday.

He would also be identifying those areas that easily get flooded, so they can prioritize these.

Later in the day, Guardo disclosed that the contractor of the Tejero project is now securing a hauling permit for the city’s environmental office to excavate and haul waste materials along the creek.

“Of the total appropriations from the national government to fully implement the drainage master plan of P8 billion, only about P1.5 billion were partially funded and implemented,” said Guardo to The FREEMAN.

Guardo said the problem on the road right-of-way in some of the areas that are supposed to be part of the drainage system project are under private properties is adding to the delay.

“Another man gud na challenges nga nag delay gyud namo sa pag-implement diri ang kaning mga private properties. And we have to give them just compensation, bayaran sila namo and mahatagan mi og right of way and then maka-implement mi sa amoang flood-control project,” added Guardo.

Garbage is also a factor that causes the drainage system to clog up which Guardo also hopes to be addressed, not only by the concerned departments of the city government, but the residents themselves. – Kristin de Dios, CNU Intern, GAN (FREEMAN)