Cebu City to build catchment basin amid worsening flooding

Local

AFTER another round of flooding submerged homes in Barangay Tisa and neighboring communities last week, Cebu City is considering a new strategy to mitigate the impact of future heavy rains.

The proposed plan centers on a floodwater reservoir designed to temporarily hold runoff before it reaches low-lying areas.

In a press conference on Monday, Mayor Nestor Archival Sr. announced plans to acquire roughly one hectare of land in Sitio Tambisan, Barangay Tisa. The site would be converted into a catchment basin capable of trapping large volumes of stormwater flowing from upland areas during intense downpours.

The proposal follows a weekend inspection of flood-hit communities by city officials after widespread flooding battered several parts of Metro Cebu.

Archival noted that during the inspection, officials found severe blockages in creeks and waterways caused by accumulated garbage, which prevented floodwaters from draining properly.

"We found that the water was no longer flowing. It was already standing still because the garbage had clogged the waterways," he said.

Around 400 personnel from the city government, barangay officials, and volunteers joined cleanup operations that removed debris and restored the flow of water in portions of the affected creeks. Archival said similar clearing activities will continue this week.

While declogging waterways remains necessary, the mayor said it addresses only part of the problem.

He explained that runoff from upland areas has become too much for existing waterways, many of which have narrowed over time, making downstream communities vulnerable whenever heavy rain falls.

Because of this, the city is prioritizing the proposed reservoir, which Archival described as the quickest practical solution available while larger infrastructure projects are still being reviewed.

"We will acquire that area and use it as a reservoir," he said.

Aside from temporarily storing floodwater, the mayor said the site could eventually serve as a water storage facility and accommodate a waste-processing area that would benefit nearby barangays such as Tisa, Labangon, and parts of Guadalupe.

At present, Archival said city officials have identified just one suitable location for the proposed facility.

Alongside the proposed reservoir, the city has initiated a review of Cebu City's 2017 Drainage Master Plan, which was prepared by the Department of Public Works and Highways.

Archival said the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office has been asked to study whether the plan should be updated to reflect current flooding conditions and to recommend additional measures for future implementation.

For now, however, the administration is focusing on interventions that can immediately reduce flood risks in the hardest-hit communities.

The mayor also acknowledged that completed flood control projects have not fully solved the city's flooding problem.

While some river improvement works have helped, he said their overall impact remains limited given the increasing volume of water reaching downstream communities during heavy rainfall.

Instead of relying solely on structural flood control projects, the city also wants to examine how urban development in upland barangays may be affecting drainage patterns.

Archival said the Department of Engineering and Public Works has been directed to revisit drainage routes, identify major water outlets, and determine whether residential developments are contributing additional runoff to low-lying areas.

Older subdivisions that do not have water catchment facilities could eventually be required to install them, while newer developments with existing retention systems may also be evaluated to determine if additional capacity is necessary.

To complement those efforts, the city government is creating an inter-agency task force that will inspect mountain barangays where residential developments have expanded in recent years.

The group will evaluate whether developers complied with drainage and water retention requirements and determine how much stormwater and additional solid waste these developments generate during heavy rains.

The mayor added that the city will continue desilting operations across the city's major rivers, beginning with downstream sections and working their way upstream.

Cebu City has eight major river systems, including smaller tributaries that also require regular maintenance.(TGP)