CEBU CITY - It's high time local governments removed houses from the banks of rivers and creeks, but it will take more than that to protect Metro Cebu from floods, environmentalists said.
"Knowing how susceptible and how insufficiently prepared we are, the authorities and the citizens need to work double time to map out adaptation and mitigation measures," Manny Calonzo of the EcoWaste Coalition said.
Aside from regular declogging operations, everyone needs to ensure that rivers, creeks and storm drains are free of garbage, he said.
Landscape architect Socorro Atega, Cebu Uniting for Sustainable Water (CUSW) director, said there should be projects on storm water management and water conservation and not merely dredging waterways.
"We need reforestation for the restoration of the water storage capacity of the watersheds," she added.
In a separate interview, Representative Gabriel Luis Quisumbing (Cebu Province, 6th district) said he will sit down with Mandaue City officials to discuss solutions to the city's flooding problem, saying many residents of the city "have experienced the worst of what floodwaters can do."
"The water has already subsided but the problem is we have to expand the drainage system," he told reporters last Friday.
Mandaue City officials decided to declare the city under a state of calamity, saying it will mean emergency measures will immediately be taken to arrest the problem.
"We have to look for lasting solutions. We have to look at expanding the drainage facilities, increasing the culvert sizes to make sure that if similar or even stronger rainfall happens in the future, we are ready to meet the challenges," he added.
The Mandaue City Government will again convene its City Disaster Coordinating Council (CDCC) today.
It will focus on assessing what the city needs and on identifying high-risk areas vulnerable to flooding and tidal surges, said lawyer Briccio Boholst, the Mandaue City administrator.
In Cebu City, clearing operations continue in Mahiga Creek, particularly in Barangay Mabolo.
Other measures
Alvin Santillana, executive director of the Cebu City Disaster Coordinating Council (CCDCC), said there will be daily clearing operations until Mahiga Creek, which crosses several barangays in Cebu City, will be without obstacles, particularly within three meters from its banks.
"We are intent on our decision to clear, restore and revitalize the rivers," said Santillana.
Apart from immediate solutions, ecology advocates called on local government units to promote reforestation and water conservation and to strictly implement the solid waste management law.
After last week's floods, work on climate change adaptation and mitigation measures should be done "double time."
Atega said cities need parks and open spaces for conservation areas, even in the built-up urban environment.
Drainage patterns are part of land assessment and planning processes and comprehensive land use plans are needed to delineate areas for easement zones along riverbanks, she said.
Atega pointed out that most wetlands have been converted into subdivisions.
"We need some areas to impound the excess rainfall to prevent flooding. Steep slopes need soil and water conservation measures such as sloping agricultural land technology [SALT] and the use of bio-engineering measures for stabilization and protection," she said.
Garbage-free
The CUSW, in its advocacy for Integrated Water Resources Management, has raised the need to organize and strengthen river management teams and watershed councils in Talisay and Cebu City for the Mananga River and Mandaue and Cebu City for Butuanon River.
Calonzo of the EcoWaste Coalition called for the earnest enforcement of Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act and related ordinances and the arrest of all violators.
"We can keep our waterways garbage-free, ensure the flow of water and reduce the threat of flash floods," he said.
Clearing operations in Cebu City will be eventually done in four other rivers located in Buhisan, Bulacao, Guadalupe and Lahug, Santillana said.
Councilor Roberto Cabarrubias, chairman of the committee on infrastructure, said he will check the status of the work on straightening the Mahiga Creek's path.
Cabarrubias said there are curves in the waterway, especially in Sitio Marna (behind the old Pepsi warehouse), in Mabolo.
"There is resistance if it is not straight so it would create a back flow that would cause the water to overflow," said Cabarrubias.
Unpredictable
More than a thousand people will have to be evacuated, as their homes have to be removed from the riverbanks. Santillana believes most of them live in the towns, so he hopes they would go back there.
"We cannot gamble because of the weather. We cannot forecast the next couple of days," said Santillana.
The informal settlers are housed at the Mabolo gym, but Santillana and Cabarrubias are thinking of using the trailers used in the Sinulog's Devotee City as temporary shelter in case of a heavy downpour again in the next few days.
The clearing started at the lowest part, which is in Mabolo, until they cleared off all obstacles at the higher level of the creek.
The City is also dredging the creek, which Santillana described as "highly silted."
"The barangays were not very vigilant in guarding the waterways. There has to be cooperation from the government and the people," he said.
In Barangay Kalunasan, whose road in Upper Kalunasan was blocked during a landslide, barangay tanods are conducting regular roving operations to monitor any land movement, said chief tanod Marino Demabildo, a retired police officer.
While they cleared the road last Friday, Demabildo said there are still some rocks and mountain soil falling to the ground.
Health
It is not a major concern, but it needs monitoring as there are about 30 houses in the landslide area, he said.
Last Tuesday, half of a house was damaged by a landslide.
Aside from damage to properties, floods bear health implications as well, Congressman Quisumbing pointed out.
"As we've seen in Manila and in similar communities, whenever something like this happens, the after-effects can be even worse than the flooding itself. There could be outbreak of diseases such as dengue and leptospirosis. We have to be absolutely guarded against that," he said.
Some schools in the city have been severely affected by the floods, forcing administrators to suspend classes and driving Department of Education officials to plan how to relocate students to safer buildings.
Last Friday, Quisumbing visited the school in Guizo with district engineer Santiago Suico to assess the condition of the structure.
Administrator Boholst, for his part, revealed the plan to convene the disaster council before the weather bureau, in an update, said the threat of a tropical depression hitting the Visayas this week has eased.
Evacuation
The CDC intends to create an evacuation plan for those living in high-risk areas within Mandaue City. These include riverbanks, coastal areas and high-debris areas.
Some identified high-risk areas in Mandaue City are Barangays Mantuyong, Guizo, Labogon, Subangdaku, Tipolo and Paknaan.
Boholst added officials are also conducting an inventory on food and emergency supplies that can be used as rations for those affected by rough weather.
They are also preparing for the logistics needed for rescue, such as communication and transportation equipment.
A state of calamity has been declared in Mandaue City, as well as Cebu City, the after widespread flooding last Tuesday.
Boholst said Mandaue City's calamity fund is about P36 million this year. (BAP/JGA/RSB/JKV of Sun.Star Cebu)
