Tom to blast Sinsin to stop landslides

Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña is considering the idea of blasting the area in barangay Sinsin where landslides usually occur, thereby, flattening the area to prevent more landslides.

Osmeña said environmentalists would surely oppose the radical idea but he is reportedly willing to take the risk if only to save the lives of the residents there from future landslides.

“I don’t care,” he said, adding the first idea- that is, to remove the water in the landslide-prone area- is just too expensive. 

The Mines and Geosciences Bureau earlier said the area between barangays Sinsin and Sudlon 1 always experiences landslides because of the type of soil there.

The city has already made temporary detour roads in that barangay to ensure the safety of motorists and has spent close of P1 million for the purchase of a lot where the more than 60 families living in the danger zones are to be relocated.

But even with the impending danger, some of the families were forced to return to their homes within the danger zone because the city could no longer provide food all the time at the evacuation centers.

The mayor earlier said he is planning to hire the services of a geodetic engineer who used to work with Atlas Mining and Development Corporation to provide him expert advice on protecting the area.

The geodetic engineer reportedly said he would first want a new aerial shot of the area before he could make an intelligent evaluation and subsequently give recommendations. — Rene U. Borromeo/JMO