Struggling against floods and landslides

The Mines and Geosciences Bureau in Central Visayas waved anew its list of list of areas that are most vulnerable to flooding.

In Cebu City, barangays Lusaran, Binaliw, Guba, Budlaan, Malubog, Buot-Taup, Busay, Sirao, Taptap, Tagbao, Tabunan, Pung-ol Sibugay,Sudlon II, Sudlon I, Sinsin, Buhisan, Pamutan, Sapangdaku, and Adlaon are considered highly susceptible to landslides.

Barangays Kasambagan, Kinasang-an, Labangon, Mabolo, and Bonbon are at most risk to flooding.

What can barangay officials do as the country enters what looks like the height of this year’s rainy season?

Rise above politics and with determination move from shaky ground whether or not constituents and their leaders see eye to eye about the hazardous locations.

Brainstorm with residents to find ways to address the problem of landslides and flooding considering that these can be gradually averted if only people put their heads together and labor hand in hand.

Landslides may happen less often where more trees are planted and allowed to mature, which means there would be a wide network of roots that can check soil erosion.

They happen less when quarrying operations are supervised and building works are conducted with mindfulness of the consequences of the attendant change in landscape.

We can turn the tide back on flooding if barangay officials flex their muscles in helping city departments accomplish river and creek dredging operations.

The maintenance or enhancement of drainage systems to divert runoff rainwater can not be made to depend on the tumultuous politicking that has bogged down City Hall.

Meanwhile, what has become of the government’s plan to crack down on individuals who throw their garbage into our waterways?

Trash continues to brim in esteros along Colon Street and near the Blessed Sacrament church in the North Reclamation Area; in the rivers that run through barangays Bulacao, Pasil and Labangon, but no one has been penalized.

What about the law requiring people to set up rainwater catchments along with any building in the city?

It is good that we may now know where are the most flood and landslide prone places in the city.

When people shall have left these places as officials should demand them to, work remains to be done on making many of these hazardous places safe again.