City Hall wants waterways cleared to prevent floods

WITH the rainy season about to start, Cebu CIty Mayor Michael Rama is encouraging barangays to enlist volunteers to clean waterways and to be vigilant against flashfloods.

The dredging of clogged creeks and esteros, and clearing of illegal structures is a temporary solution said Alvin Santillana head of City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council.

He “rechanneling” the path of creeks to widen waterways was a more sustainable remedy.

“Our waterways are constricted because of illegal structures,” he said.

Mayor Rama reminded Kenneth Enriquez, acting chief of the Office of the Building Official (OBO) to check illegal obstructions in the city’s key waterways.

The mayor earlier asked the City Council to allot P500 million for drainage improvement, but the amount was reduced to P100 million in the annual budget.

Priority areas are flood prone-roads in lowlying areas of Manalili, Legazpi, and Junquera in the downtown area and and Hi-way Tagonol.

Santillana said they will do their best given the budget cut.