The major cause of flooding in some areas in Bacolod City is the improper disposal of garbage, particularly plastic items, assistant Bacolod City Engineer Belly Aguillon said yesterday.

Aguillon said periodic inspections of manholes by the City Engineer's Office show that plastic items and other garbage clog the drainage system, and this causes the streets to flood during rainy season. She said engineer Elma Advincula, who is in charge of the repair and maintenance of city streets and bridges, undertakes the repair of the drainage systems and open canals in the city. They also have a roving team that inspect streets for flooding, she added.

Aguillon appealed to the public for cooperation. She said that if garbage is not properly disposed, the people will also be the ones to suffer as these will cause problems later. Although we are doing our job, we cannot cover all the 61 barangays at one time, she added.

Agullon said every year the city allocates a budget for the rehabilitation of the drainage system and for the repair of streets. She said they have also undertaken the rehabilitation of some drainage systems in the city.

Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia said times have changed and flooding cases do not only happen here, but even in modern countries like Japan or even in Las Vegas. He said these are natural phenomenon that should serve as a warning to the people.

Leonardia said many of the drainage system in the city are antiquated and, in most cases, the flooding situation is aggravated by the improper disposal of garbage, particularly plastics. "I hope the people will have a high level of awareness and consciousness about the proper disposal of their garbage," he added.

"We continue trying to improve our drainage system but at the same time we are requesting the public to avoid throwing garbage in places where these should not be thrown, particularly in canals and drainage systems," Leonardia said.*CGS

back to top