Cebu was spared from the floods caused by tropical depression Agaton, the first to hit the country two months after the devastation caused by supertyphoon Yolanda.
But we shouldn’t be complacent.
The floods in Mindanao were strong enough to break a bridge and displaced families. The casualty count reached 41, a number that may rise even as Agaton is expected to exit the country today.
Cebuano faithful credit the Sto. Niño for warding off Agaton long enough for Cebu City to celebrate the religious Fiesta Señor and the dance-parade of the Sinulog festival. Except for slight drizzles and a small aftershock on Sunday evening that was felt in the bleachers of the Cebu City Sports Complex, the celebration was a success.
Yolanda’s destruction was reenacted on stage in the finale of the Cebu Sinulog dance presentation and included rescue and relief efforts of the Cebu City government, the national government and the international community.
Urban flooding remains a perennial problem in Metro Cebu. After more than an hour of heavy rain, storm water covers streets. A longer downpour means landslides in vulnerable mountain barangays, and drowning accidents in flash floods.
To its credit, the task force on danger zones set up by Mayor Michael Rama’s administration started preliminary solutions to avoid casualties in floods like clearing one side of the Mahiga River near the sea outlet in the reclamation area and identifying obstructions along the city’s five main rivers.
A sticky problem is funding. Drainage improvement measures don’t have the full budget the mayor asked for from the City Council while City Hall struggles with cash flow problems. Another problem is the mindset of residents and business estabishments who contribute to the trash-filled esteros and creeks, thinking that a cleanup is the job of the government.
Citizens and the private sector will have to pitch in with feasible, cheaper solutions.
Urban catch basins, a strategy used to stave off flooding in pricey districts like Rockwell in Makati City should be tried in Cebu City and Mandaue City. After Yolanda, ecology lawyer Tony Oposa repeated his pitch for neighborhoods to make “rain gardens” dug out of the ground to soak up excess rainwater.
Political will is needed for a soution that’s already in the books. Cebu City has an ordinance requiring that cisterns be included in building plans. In the frenzy of renewing business permits in January, shouldn’t City Hall be checking on cisterns, a storage chamber that would allow rainwater to be used for washing, cleaning and gardens so the aquifer is not exploited beyond its limit.
Individual and community solutions are needed. Practical, straightforward measures can be taken at much less cost than the devastation brought about by flooding.
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