BACOLOD City District Engineer Abraham Villareal said on Thursday, August 23, that the construction of the drainage projects from Rizal to Mandalagan Bridge is now 95 percent completed.
"It's all substantially complete we already lay down the main pipes, but we are still doing the inlets in the connecting pipes that would efficiently collect surface ran of water from the occurrence of rain and will convey it down to the outflow in the Mandalagan Bridge or Mandalagan River," Villareal said.
He said the installation of inlets is expected to be finished by September before the celebration of the MassKara Festival.
He added the contractor's deadline is in October.
Villareal said they also connected the old drainage line to the new drainage line from Rizal Street to Mandalagan Bridge.
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) started the construction of the drainage projects from Rizal Street going to Mandalagan Bridge in February.
The drainage project along Rizal Street going to Capitol Lagoon on Lacson Street costs P20 million while the one from Lacson Street towards Mandalagan Bridge is worth P35 million.
"Once it will be operational, it's expected to lessen the flood problem especially, along Lacson Street," Villareal said.
He said they also welcome the opinion of the Bacolod Anti-Baha Alliance which could help them formulate solutions to resolve the flood problem.
"We welcome these insights and we take this positively and constructively. We take this opportunity to explain to them what we are doing and what we are about to do, so the public will also know that the DPWH is exerting all its effort to address the flood problem," he added.
Last week, the anti-baha group along with the DPWH and the city officials held a meeting to discuss the flood problem in the city. (MAP/VoxPop Bacolod)