The drainage problem getting worse

Besides the pestering traffic congestion principally owing to the over-proliferation of motor vehicles, including the ubiquitous tricycles, the Metro Cebu local government units (LGUs) are confronted with other urgent concerns. Reckoning with one hand’s fingers, there are the grave drainage situation, over-population, unemployment, irregular weather conditions, and uncontrolled squatters almost everywhere, to name some.

Let’s narrow down to one seemingly “minor” problem besetting LGUs like, say, Mandaue City, with just a comparatively small enclave of 3,000 square kilometers of land and no mountains. Focus is on drainage which is getting more nettlesome and, appears to be getting worse, despite a number of natural outlets to the sea. These are the Mahiga Creek in Subangdaku, the small natural canal of Poo, Tipolo, the Tipolo creek, the Sapa-sapa in Guizo-Ibabao down to Mantuyong, the Butuanon River and the Basak rill from Consuelo Village down to Dunggoan. Despite these water outlets, natural water flow is now getting constricted because of man-made obstructions, like, squatting right on the beds and banks, including strong-structured buildings.

A water catchment draining heavy rains into a “sink hole” was that 2-meter diameter “bito” somewhere in interior Cabancalan plain. Another was in Lamak near the boundary of Tawason and Canduman, just short upper distance from H. Abellana Street; and, one other in Casili which is still siphoning rain water floods in the area.

It is the 2-meter diameter “bito” in Cabancalan that is a great loss because it’s located at a natural basin catchment that used to siphon converging water coming from upland Cebu City, and drain floods underground that surfaced at the Jagobiao outfall, the size of a buri palm trunk. Old stories revealed that the outlet had been reinforced with concrete. A time came that the steady rush of water altogether stopped, allegedly after its upper Casili area was tapped by the MCWD deep artesian wells somewhere upstream. How true it was, became a subject of discussions, but it’s a fact that the Jagobiao surging outflow is now no more.

Perhaps, the explanation that the Jagobiao outfall dried up from the Cabancalan “sink hole” came from then Cebu City Engr. Antonio B. Sanchez, as confirmed in fact by Cabancalan Barangay Captain Corregidor Cosedo. Engr. Tony Sanchez retold that Cebu City wanted to rehabilitate the “bito” which was then full of plastics obstruction – no longer draining water – to ease out the “suffocation” of the “sink hole” affecting Sto. Niño Village and other outlying areas. However, it turned out that Mandaue City was interested to be Donee of the land where the “sink hole” is found. MCWD and the Water Resources Council were also interested to keep the “sink hole” vicinity as water catchment, which didn’t materialize. In fact, Engr. Sanchez says that they had started cleaning the plastics by a man tied to a rope doing the clearing manually. Barangay Capt. Cosedo said that MCWD blasted the “sink hole”, obviously to close permanently the “bito”. However, the “sink hole” entrance as of now below its surface has been closed for rain and accumulated water not to flow freely down as before.

Incidentally, still from old folk tales, the “sink hole” water that found its final outfall in Jagobiao had been “tested” by dropping objects, like, pieces of cloth or whatever, which much later exited at Jagobiao. Others say, the “testing” was made by pouring “dye” into the “bito” opening that also came out in Jagobiao. Whatever be the accurate version, the fact remains that the subject “sink hole” serving as a big natural “drainage system” has gone to waste.

 Another “sink hole” was in Lamak at the downward end of Tawason near the road junction going to Casili via Kanghang-at. It could be a small “bito” because when it rained, the accumulated rain became a pool, though the pool later seeped underground. However, the “sink hole” is now inexistent as its site is now covered by a residential house. But, the fact remains that H. Abellana Street downhill of Lamak has become a drainage glut for days after rains.

With other natural water outlets in Mandaue City being obstructed by man-made constructions smack on their natural beds, and along the 3-meter drainage easements, etc., the streets, roads, and pathways have now become the instant “drainage” systems even in light rains.