Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said he has instructed the Department of Public Works and Highways and the City Engineers’ Office to submit engineering solutions for areas that were flooded in Bacolod City this week.
They were instructed to submit a plan on how to eliminate flooding in those areas, Benitez, who convened the Task Force Baha Thursday afternoon, July 27, said.
Illegal structures and reclamation work at mouths of rivers were identified as among the causes for the flooding, he said.
Benitez said he is just waiting for their final findings so he can issue orders for demolition of illegal structures that exacerbated the flooding.
He was informed that the flooding at the Gaisano City Mall area at Araneta Street was caused by illegal structures at the mouth of the Magsungay River that blocked the exit of the water, Benitez said.
Sensors and early warning devices against flooding will also be installed in Bacolod in coordination with PAGASA, he added.
Continued declogging of drainages will also be conducted, he said.
It was also proposed that underground water catchment basins be placed in median islands of roads in selected areas prone to floods, he said.
These will also serve as irrigation systems for the plants in the median islands, he said.
The mayor noted that areas where flooding occurred in the past, like at the SM City area, were not hit this week.
The city’s Public Information Office will come up with a map of areas where the flooding occurred this week and he is asking the general public to take a look at it so they can give inputs on places affected that were not included, Benitez said.
He stressed the need for more proactive measures.
“We cannot just be reactionary”, he said.*