Labella orders DEPW to check on all landslide and flooded areas

Cebu City Mayor Edgar Labella has ordered the Department of Engineering and Public Works to check on all landslide and flooded areas in the city. | file photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella has ordered the Department of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW) to check on all areas that experienced landslides and flooding in the city in the last two days.

At least six landslides have occurred in separate barangays and flooding in 10 others since the evening of September 15, 2020, when the strengthened Southwest monsoon caused heavy rains.

Although no one was hurt in any of the incidents, more than 70 individuals had to be evacuated from Barangays Talamban, Kalunasan, Tisa, Guadalupe, and Kasambagan.

Read: Another landslide destroys properties in Cebu City

The mayor said it was high time the DEPW check on the drainage and structures in the affected areas for quick reinforcement and also to propose long-term solutions to these yearly disasters.

“I already asked the DEPW to submit a report and recommendation on how to address the flooding and the landslides in the city,” said the mayor.

Read: Cebu City dad sees need to work on drainage masterplan to prevent flooding, landslides

Based on initial assessment in the flooding of two sitios in Barangay Tisa where the flood water reached 8 feet deep, the DEPW already proposed a P100 million drainage project to address the problem in the area.

In previous statements, Disaster Chief Ramil Ayuman, already said that the drainage in Sitios Tambis and Lutaw-lutaw could not accommodate the water volume because the canals were intersecting.

He suggested that the DEPW should implement a better drainage plan to address the flooding problem in the long term.

Read: Tisa drainage needs to be realigned to solve heavy flooding

Labella said this P100 million proposed budget would be included in the 2021 annual budget to ensure that by next year, the implementation of a new drainage plan could begin in Barangay Tisa.

Still various areas are still a cause for concern, which is why the mayor wants a report on how the city can address the landslide prone areas as well.

For the meantime, the Department of Social Welfare and Services (DSWS) is providing for the basic needs of the evacuees with food packs and evacuation kits./dbs