Rainwater floods the Mambaling underpass rendering it impassable following Wednesday’s (March 31, 2021) early morning downpour. | Photo Courtesy of LTO-7 Director Victor Caindec (file photo)
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Cebu City Council is once again pleading with the Department of Public Works and Highways in Central Visayas (DPWH-7) to fix the flooding in the Mambaling Underpass.
The underpass was the subject of scrutiny when the rain flooded the depressed structure on March 31, 2021.
That was the first time the underpass was closed due to flooding and the inlets built drawing the water from the Natalio Bacalso Avenue to the underpass was blamed for the flooding.
The flooding “immensely” concerned the Cebu City Council members who had called the DPWH-7 at least five times to the council to discuss the flooding at the surrounding area of the underpass.
Councilor Jerry Guardo, chairperson of the committee on infrastructure, said in his privilege speech that he found the need for changes in the drainage plan in the area.
Guardo inspected the underpass after the flooding had subsided with the DPWH-7 officials and found that only medium size inlets of the drainage system were in place “vis-à-vis the huge volume of rainwater being captured therein.”
“During our inspection, DPWH engineers recommended the following: To increase the inlets of the drainage sufficient enough to accommodate huge volume of rainwater; to compute the capacity of the existing RCPC pipes that connected to the water retention pond of the tunnel.”
“Likewise, with the timely suggestion of our very own Engineer Kenneth Enriquez to change the existing 36 diameter culvert to 72 diameters in order to address the huge volume of rainwater in the area due to the recent economic activities,” said Guardo.
Cebu City Council intervenes
With Mayor Edgardo Labella seeking Secretary Mark Villar of DPWH’s assistance on the matter, the council has decided to intervene as well.
Guardo is asking the DPWH-7 to formulate immediate and long term plans for the drainage system in the area including the construction of a service road with a drainage system or when it shall be implemented.
The Cebu City Council members decided that they would no longer want to invite the DPWH-7 into a council session, but instead would tackle it in an interagency meeting outside the session.
With this, Guardo told CDN Digital that he would be meeting the DPWH-7 in a collaboration meeting on April 13, 2021.
The council has called on DPWH-7, the contractor of the project, the City’s Engineering Office, and other concerned agencies in a focus group discussion outside the session with selected council members.
Afterwards, the results of the meeting will be presented in the council for the perusal of the members.
Guardo said he hoped that this time the DPWH-7 would have a better plan laid out for the Mambaling underpass.
/dbs
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