Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said road and drainage work in Bacolod City have temporarily been stopped during the duration of the MassKara Festival to ease traffic.
Department of Public Works and Highways District Engineer Abraham Villareal issued an order stopping all road construction in in Bacolod, Benitez said.
They can resume work on the roads and drainages after October 22, he said
Meanwhile, Villareal and DPWH 6 regional director Sanny Boy Oropel are in Japan looking at different floodgates to determine what is applicable for Bacolod, Benitez said.
One of the causes of flooding in Bacolod City is high tide water, which can be mitigated with floodgates, Benitez said.
The floodgates are being eyed for the major rivers of Bacolod, Benitez said.
The rivers can handle the rainfall but flooding occurs when the rain and hide tide occur at the same time, Benitez said.
Benitez said he believes the high tide being experienced now is due to climate change with the ice caps in the North and South Poles melting and the global water levels rising.
The Bacolod City government will also deal with complaints of alleged illegal construction in Barangay Pahanocoy, which residents claim is causing flooding in the area, Benitez said.
We will take appropriate action after the situation is validated, Benitez said.*