The stone riprap built on both sides of a road in barangay Guizo, A.S. Fortuna Extension in Mandaue City is an example of a national government project with little input from the affected community it’s supposed to help.
Work had been going on for the past three months by the time the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and Mandaue City Hall met with affected residents who clamored for answers.
The strange design makes the drainage project look like a stone corridor inserted on a road.
As explained, it was intended to cushion floodwaters that overflow from two nearby creeks and protect residents of nearby barangays.
However, that same protection comes at a cost for residents, who have yet to elevate their homes to the same height of the stone riprap.
Since the walls stand on a one-way road, this makes it difficult for firefighters to reach the interior of the neighborhood in case of a fire, said longtime resident Mae Lopez.
“If we don’t elevate our houses, we will drown here,” Mae Lopez told Cebu Daily News. She and other residents had just renovated their homes when DPWH’s contractor P.B. Obial Construction began work on the stone riprap.
The stone corridor also constricts the passageway of traffic in the road.
Were residents informed about the project, and was there adequate consultation at the neighborhood level about the impact of this project?
With the riprap, the area would become an outfall of water from the two creeks during heavy downpours. That’s the plan.
As it is, residents there have to live with the strange stone riprap walls. They can only hope that there won’t be any heavy rains that fall before the DPWH places box culverts that will help divert the floodwater.
Lack of public consultation on infrastructure projects is a disservice to citizens who have a right to know where and how their tax pesos are being spent. With urban flooding a recurring threat in low-lying parts of Mandaue City, drainage improvement is a priority. But the project must be appropriate for the site, and answer a real need, without adding new burdens.
The vigilance of residents is a good thing.
If more Mandauehanons were watching the progress of DPWH drainage projects in their area, and raised a red flag when they spot work that looks amiss, we wouldn’t be wrestling today with the lost opportunity of installing undersized culverts and drainage lines in main roads.
The next strong downpour will test if the stone riprap on A.S. Fortuna Extension does the job of protecting the area from flooding. Otherwise, Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes has another problem on his hands.
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