City to resume dredging creeks

CEBU, Philippines - The dredging and desilting of several creeks and waterways in Cebu City, particularly the one that passes through the city’s downtown area, will continue even if the City Council only approved more than P100 million as budget for flood control programs for this year.

The dredging and desilting is expected to start a few days from now.

Cebu City Assistant Engineer June Nadine Sison said that aside from the flood mitigating programs’ budget for this year, the city had approved last year the contract with more than P50 million budget for desilting and dredging of creeks.

“May budget na man kining maong mga dredging projects last year pa, ug wala ni labot sa budget karong tuiga. Tingali ang dredging magsugod pipila ka adlaw gikan karon kay nakapirma na man og contract ang mayor,” Sison said in yesterday’s press conference.

The problem about the constant flooding of various streets in the city’s downtown areas, particularly in Colon and Manalili Streets during rain is expected to be given a solution by the city engineers before the year ends.

Sison explained that the city had already allocated P5.9 million budget for the dredging of the “Estero Parian”, the creek that passes beneath the various commercial establishments in the city’s downtown area particularly Legaspi Street to Colonnade Mall, Harbour City Dimsum Restaurant, 138 Mall, Gaisano Main Store and crossing D. Jakosalem Street before going to barangay Tinago in the port area.

Sison admitted that the dredging of Estero Parian cannot be easily conducted because of the illegal structures within the three-meter easement.

He further explained that the excavator cannot penetrate the area where the creek is situated because of the structures constructed across the creek.

There is a plan for the city to buy a “walking excavator” or mini-payloader that can be used to dredge the creeks and esteros.

Guillermo “Dodong” Viola of the Department of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW) Flood Control Division said Estero Parian really needs to be desilted of mud to solve the problem of flooding in downtown area.

Because the creek is already filled with mud, floodwaters usually overflow during heavy downpours.

Mayor Michael Rama earlier vowed to go against the businessmen who construct illegal structures within the creek but until now no one has been prosecuted not heeding the mayor’s appeal to clear the waterways of obstructions.

Engr. Joel Reston of DEPW said the contractors who won the bidding for the various dredging projects of the creeks in Inayawan, Mahiga, Estero Parian and others, have already surveyed the area and are expecting to complete the project by June. (FREEMAN)