Coordination meeting on master drainage plan seen

THE coordination meeting between the local government and the national government will be revived by the City Engineer’s Office to solve the problem of the urban flooding and to come up with a master drainage plan.

This, after the committee of the whole on master drainage plan chaired by Councilor Teodulfo Lao Jr., on Wednesday tackled the special report of Councilor Lao concerning the recent flooding in the city due to poor drainage system and the need to have a drainage master plan, among other things.

Lao said there is a necessity for such plan because even if there is no typhoon and only torrential rains, the city is already flooding.

A representative of the City Engineer’s Office said that being the implementing agency of the city government projects, they have received a copy of a master plan last year undertaken by UP Planadis, which covers main drains of the city and CDO river basin.

Councilor Edna Dahino however, expressed concern that the planner who is not from the city cannot see the problem. She suggested that the city comes up with its own plan, which will be connected to the plan of the consultant so that the problem will finally be solved.

The representative said they are now in the process of formulating the catchments that will connect to the main drains and gathering data as to the capacity of the existing drains within the city but have not made a whole study.

Dahino commented that the movement is very slow considering the fact that the city has been experiencing flashfloods.

“At this very moment the city has no data. The problem we are facing requires us to make a decisive plan and actions,” she said.

Engr. Pacuribot of the City Engineers Office said the office was commissioned by the DPWH Region 10 to conduct flood study mitigating measures for the whole city as conducted by UP Planadis. The result of the master drainage plan covers the flood prone areas of CDO. Pacuribot said the city and national government needs coordination in flood mitigation measures.

We need to have the exact invert elevation of the national project before the local can start, Pacuribot said.

According to the City Engineer’s Office, the master drainage plan will implemented this year.

Pacuribot added that once the national government has the final design, the local government will then follow. We have to wait for the final design of the national government, he said.

Lao called for another meeting and expressed hopes that the final master drainage plan will soon be implemented.

Representatives from the informal settlers, the CHUDD, and Limketkai Mall, among others, will be invited to attend the next meeting. (EF)