The Cebu City government’s plan to clear the Mahiga Creek from obstructions starts with the opening of an access road in the area, according to the Reduction of Danger Zones (REDZ) project head Jose Daluz III.
Daluz said the road will separate the creek from the residents so garbage disposal at the creek will be minimized, if not prevented.
Heavy equipment units from the city government are compacting the dirt road that will connect a portion of M. Logarta Avenue near the SM Hypermarket to a portion of S. Osmeña Road near the Cebu Ports Authority (CPA) office.
The access road is about 20 meters wide and 150 meters long.
Daluz said they will start to asphalt the new road and put up river embankments after the City Council approves supplemental budget 2 which includes a P4.3 million outlay for the embankment.
Mayor Michael Rama inspected the progress yesterday and said he was “pleased” with the work.
“I would like to congratulate my REDZ czar,” Rama said.
“Now let’s see if Mandaue won’t be embarrassed enough to do its part,” said Rama, referring to shanties at the Mandaue side of the creek.
Government’s heavy equipment will be moved to the other side of M. Logarta Avenue near the city nursery next week to open an access road.
City Hall will work on its road opening project while continuing with conflict-resolution meetings with 98 households along the creek who were issued notices to vacate.
”We have to follow procedures and we could not speed this up because we still have no funds for monetary aid,” he said.
The Department for the Welfare of the Urban Poor (DWUP) is working to identify who among the creek occupants will qualify for relocation and who will receive financial aid that they could use to return to their hometowns and provinces.
Daluz said it would help if the Department of Public Works and Highways would push through next year with the dredging of the creek beside the CPA office.
The silted creek has soil deposits that have hardened and looked like sandbars along the waterway.
”This needs to be three to four meters deep to prevent flooding,” he said.