THE local chief executives of the cities of Mandaue and Cebu met last Thursday to discuss how to jointly solve the flooding problem in the neighboring barangays of the two local government units.
Mandaue City Mayor Gabriel Luis Quisumbing and Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña met at 9 a.m. at the Mandaue Session Hall.
Flooding usually happens in Barangays Cabancalan and Banilad in Mandaue, and barangays Banilad and Talamban in Cebu City even if there’s slight rain, according to Engr. Fe Walag of the Water Resource Center of Cebu City.
“These four barangays experience flooding even with just little rain and already for so long a time,” said Walag.
According to the Mandaue Public information Office, Walag leads the group of engineers that comprise the technical secretariat for the Banilad-Cabancalan-Talamban Communities Drainage Committee.
During the meeting, Walag and his team proposed to connect the drainage of the four barangays to the one located in M. L. Quezon Avenue in Barangay Maguikay, Mandaue City to channel floodwaters to Butuanon River.
Walag believes that this solution only take less than a year.
“This is not a temporary solution but just one phase of a long term solution,” Walag said.
Quisumbing expressed worry that the drainage on M.L. Quezon might not be able to handle the volume of water from the four barangays.
According to their calculations, Walag said the drainage of M.L. Quezon can handle the volume.
She said the flow of water can also be regulated, she said in a press release.
For Cebu City, Osmeña expressed support for the proposal, saying it promises a viable and environmentally sound solution.
Osmeña also pledged to shoulder part of the expenses.
The two officials are looking at the “rehabilitation of an open space into a wetland, which would act as a catchment basin and natural water reservoir.”
This would reach two to three years, the press release said.
However, Quisumbing asked for two weeks to study the proposed solutions to ensure that these will be beneficial to residents of the two cities.
Architect Marlo Ocleasa, head of Mandaue Planning and Development Office, and the city planning and development officer of Cebu City will meet again with Walag’s team to further study and discuss the proposed solutions. PR
