REPRESENTATIVES of developers Filinvest Land, SM Prime Holdings, and Ayala Land yesterday agreed to pool funds and hire a third-party consultant to craft a drainage master plan for the South Road Properties (SRP).
In the meantime, each company will take steps on their own to address flooding in their area. The separate measures will be be integrated into the master plan.
Allan Alfon, Filinvest vice president and head of the newly formed SRP task force on flooding, said they will decide on the consultant by July 20.
“For now, what we agreed is we’ll pool our resources towards coming up with a comprehensive drainage master plan. We’ll hire a consultant to help us come up (with the plan). In terms of implementation, that’s too early to comment right now,” he said after meeting with SM and Ayala representatives at the SRP Management Office yesterday.
The three property development companies are the biggest locators at the SRP, a 300-hectare reclaimed property that is touted to be Cebu’s biggest emerging growth area.
Among the remedial measures that FLI will undertake is to create its own drainage system within its properties. Alfon also said they have standby pumps to hasten the outflow of run-off water that may accumulate in the area.
“It was agreed in the meeting today that each will address our own flooding separately. Hoping that once we have the consultants, they can help us integrate our respective drainage design for immediate solution,” Alfon added.
City Engineer Jose Marie Poblete, who presided in yesterday’s meeting at the SRP management office, said the study will also determine whether the flooding is caused by saltwater intrusion into the reclaimed property.
“From that (drainage) study, they will come up with a realistic plan on what to do really in the area in terms of solving the drainage problem there,” Poblete said.
Mayor Michael Rama formed the task force after receiving a letter from Alfon, expressing concern about the heavy flooding in the area.