Consolacion gov’t to dredge river; gov to relocate families

The Cansaga River will be dredged, and Consolacion’s drainage system needs improvement.

More than 200 families displaced by flooding will be relocated.

These solutions were pledged by  Consolacion town and Cebu provincial government officials to prevent a  repeat of the flooding that hit the town last Tuesday.

More than 200 families were affected in  at least three Consolacion barangays of  Pitogo (116 families), Cansaga (125 families) and Nangka (38 families).

Consolacion Mayor Teresa Alegado ordered yesterday the dredging of river’s mouth to restore the opening to  five   meters.

Aquilino Pitogo, barangay captain of Pitogo, one of the worst hit barangays, said the river’s original  opening five-meter opening was reduced to only 1.5 meters after part of the waterway was reclaimed by some businessmen.

Pitogo said this  was one of the causes of the flood, which occurred after the river overflowed after nightlong rain that lasted till Tuesday.

The Consolacion town government borrowed a backhoe and a pay loader from the Capitol to start  dredging at the soonest time.

“The mayor order to excavate the riverbed to allow passage for the water,” said Pitogo.

Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, who visited the area yesterday and handed out relief goods, promised to help look for a relocation  site for families so they don’t live near rivers danger zone.

Water rose chest-high and partly submerged houses in the northern town of Consolacion, the worst-hit area in reports of flooding in Metro Cebu after a night of continuous rain.

The Cansaga River overflowed on Tuesday, displacing residents of at least three barangays.

Garcia assigned provincial engineer Eulogio Pelayre to study how to improve the town’s drainage system.

Consolacion Mayor Alegado said she would replace with bigger culverts the 1.5-km stretch of culverts making up the area’s drainage system so this can accommodate the bulk of water coming from other areas going to sitio Laray, barangay Pitogo.

Barangay captain Pitogo said the municipal government would also conduct a land use plan to identify, which lots are  owned by the government.

He said that 15 years ago, the area was a timberland or  public land that was filled up with anapog and sold for residences.

“Dili jud ni angayan puy-an nga lugar kay timberland man ni, musolod ang tubig,” he said.

He said  some residents living bought lots at P50 per square meter even though they had no  lot numbers in their land titles.

“It sold quickly because the price was low,” he said.

Relief goods such as blankets, pails, kitchenware and dry goods were distributed. /Jucell Marie P. Cuyos, Reporter with a report from Correspondent Carmel Loise Matus