Cebu City reviews developers’ flood mitigation measures

Local

CEBU City is preparing to take possible legal action against developers who fail to submit reports on their flood-mitigation measures.

The city wants to determine whether upland developments are contributing to flooding in downstream communities.

Mayor Nestor Archival’s chief of staff Kenneth Siasar said that the city had sent letters to all 65 developers identified in the South District, requiring them to submit details of their detention ponds and other flood-mitigation measures.

But only four developers had submitted the required plans and documents as of Monday, despite the Aug. 20 deadline, Siasar said.

He clarified that the city had already delivered the letters to all 65 developers through the Department of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW), but the responses remained limited.

“So far, ang nakasubmit sa ilang plan nga gipangayo sa Office of the Mayor, upat pa,” Siasar said.

While extensions were initially granted to those who requested them, Siasar said the city is considering elevating the matter to the Office of the City Legal Officer to compel developers who still failed to submit to respond.

He said Archival had discussed the issue with him and indicated that the mayor’s memorandum or letter to the developers may need to be given “more teeth.”

“Perhaps atong hatagan og more teeth, atong ipaagi og City Legal,” Siasar said.

Developers who still fail to submit the required documents would be referred to the City Legal Office, which would then determine the appropriate legal action or issue the necessary communications to the companies, Siasar said.

The city has not, however, established that the 65 developers violated flood-mitigation requirements.

The submission is part of the city’s ongoing review to determine whether developers have adequate facilities to manage stormwater and whether what they built matches their approved plans and commitments.

Siasar said the city would prioritize inspecting developers that have already submitted their documents.

The city had previously announced that on-site inspections would run from Aug. 20 to 27 to verify whether the detention ponds and other flood-control measures reported by developers actually exist.

The city will also examine the actual developments against the plans submitted when construction began.

“Tan-awon nato ang ilang kontrata sa pagsugod kung ang ilang actual gihimo in line ba sa ilang proposal sa pagsugod sa ilang construction,” Siasar said.

Siasar said the city may also cluster its findings geographically instead of waiting to complete a single assessment covering all 65 developers.

Developments located near one another could be assessed together, particularly those in the Guadalupe area.

He cited Monterrazas and other nearby developments as examples of sites that could be examined as a cluster.

The city initially expected to consolidate the developers’ responses and report its findings by the end of August.

Siasar said the city would determine whether to present the findings as one comprehensive report or group them according to location and their relationship to drainage and waterways.

The developers identified for the review include major and smaller developments in the South District.

The city previously said it was looking into whether concrete surfaces and altered drainage patterns in upland developments were increasing the volume of water flowing toward lower communities during heavy rainfall.

The review of the 65 developers is part of Archival’s assessment of upland development and its possible contribution to flooding in Cebu City.

The mayor earlier directed the DEPW to review upland developments, identify waterways and drainage outlets, and determine which major projects could be contributing to downstream flooding.

Archival also said the city could require additional catchment facilities from developments found to contribute to flooding.(TGP)