Dumaguete Vice Mayor Alan Gel Cordova has asked the Negros Oriental State University for assistance in helping find solutions to the perennial problem of flooding in the city.

The vice mayor said he sent a letter Tuesday to outgoing president Dr. Henry Sojor for a community outreach program and assessment, starting with Barangay Banilad.

The move came after Sunday’s unexpected flooding in some areas of Dumaguete, particularly Banilad where a creek overflowed into fields and rendered spillways impassable, leaving motorists and commuters stranded for few hours.

Cordova said he asked the NORSU to conduct an assessment of the public drainage system and areas prone to flooding, and to develop an early warning system and other disaster mitigation measures.

The vice mayor deployed heavy equipment to the Banilad road, leading from the national highway to the interior portion where debris carried downstream by the floodwater had clogged drainage canals.

Cordova was acting mayor at that time as Mayor Manuel Sagarbarria was on official travel overseas.

He said that Banilad resident Dino Ramacho, who works at NORSU, told him that flooding in the area is a recurrent problem and has never been fully addressed by barangay and city officials.

In a meeting several months ago among residents, barangay officials, engineers and City Hall representatives, it was agreed that a survey be done to determine the cause of flooding in the area and possible mitigating measures that could be implemented.

In that meeting, Ramacho had said then that geodetic engineers of NORSU can help the city government in conducting the survey in Banilad and adjacent barangays where the creek cuts across.*JFP

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