A legacy of floods or a solution

For the past few days, I have been  trying to analyze the flooding problems confronting  Metro Cebu,  particularly Cebu City.

I remember that in the past few years, flooding was something that we would only  see in Metro Manila. It wasn’t a concern of Metro Cebu residents. But lately, flooding has become part of  our lives.  It is with us now  as much as we try to avoid it.

One time, it rained hard  for less than an hour. I passed the Mabolo area and saw that some lowlying places were already under water. I could just  imagine how it would look if  it  had rained  longer.

There is no doubt that if it rains heavily  today,  many in the metropolis would worry and  even be fearful that  areas would  get flooded and many  commuters get stuck on the road with water entering even their houses, damaging   valuable possessions.

The question that faces us is  why is there massive flooding in Metro Cebu in parts that never experienced it before?

I think this is the price  we have to pay  for progress .  Before we used to see vacant and uninhabited areas but today every available space in Cebu City  is occupied, developed and  cemented or asphalted.

Engineer Fortunato “Jun” Sanchez correctly observed that when it rains,  rain water  from the mountains in Cebu rushes down to the lowlands but because many spaces are covered in concrete or asphalt,  rain water has nowhere to exit except in low lying areas.

Our rivers,  where water find its way  to the sea, don’t have the capacity to channel water because they are silted and occupied by informal settlers or  establishments which have forgotten that  rivers are beyond the commerce of man.

So  I agree 100% with the move of the Cebu city government to clear all rivers of occupants including business establishments that have encroached on the waterways by building over them and  constricting the flow of water.

I also agree with the city government’s move to trying once more to establish the important three-meter easements in the creeks and rivers.   I am hoping that  people and the city government would now be vigilant in guarding the waterways against further encroachment.

It’s  unfortunate  that many of these occupants  demand relocation sites from the government when they know their continued stay is already illegal and endangers  their own safety. Some stubbornly refuse to vacate as if they have a  right over the rivers that they have illegally occupied.

If the city  government is  serious about  solving  street flooding, it needs  political will to implement  measures that  mitigate urban flooding.

Remove all informal settlers occupying the waterways, including  footbridges built there. Reclaim the three-meter easements.  Put  gabion dams in the mountain areas to slow down the flow of runoff water.

And, in cooperation with the national government and other affected local governments, put up a dam in the uplands.

I hope City Hall sees the study conducted by Eng. Jun Sanchez  who belongs to the infrastructure committee of the Metro Cebu Development and Coordination Board (MCDCB), which spearheads  the Mega  Cebu 2050 vision..

Providing a long-term solution to  flooding in Metro Cebu would be a great legacy our leaders can leave for us and  the  next generations.