Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia yesterday said the city will create a composite team to study the clogged waterways in Bacolod City in order to find ways of addressing the flooding problems brought by heavy rains.

The team will be composed of representatives from the Department of Public Works and Highways and the Bacolod City Engineer's Office.

The Mayor also appealed to the public to dispose of their garbage properly, especially plastic materials which are the causes of flooding. Leonardia said they had originally planned to borrow the equipment of the Negros Occidental provincial government to clear the waterways in the city but it is being used in Kabanklan and Ilog.

He said Gov. Joseph Marañon, being a resident of Sta. Clara Subdivision which is also affected by floods, also wanted to help, but their equipment could not be made available to the city.

Leonardia said they are now considering the option of purchasing dredging equipment for clearing all the waterways in Bacolod City. He said the flooding incident on Dec. 20, 2006 was an unusual occurrence and cannot be considered a regular flood. However, it was a wake-up call for everybody, he added.

Leonardia said he will meet with the Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod to discuss the study, and the recommendations of the City Engineer's Office on how to approach the problems of the city on flooding.

The Mayor met with the Sta. Clara Homeowners Association yesterday regarding their problem on flooding.

Leonardia said the CEO had a drainage master plan way back in 1997 and in the case of Sta. Clara Subdivision, there was a proposal to divert the waterways to Banago somewhere in the circumferential road, but the works will cost more than P10 million.

He said the homeowners met separately with Bacolod Rep. Monico Puentevella to discuss the matter, and when they realized that the drainage system is not purely under the jurisdiction of Bacolod City, they approached national offices.*CGS

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