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Mahiga Creek is littered with trash after heavy rains Tuesday night. | Photo courtesy of CCENRO
CEBU CITY, Philippines – The Cebu City Department of Public Services (DPS) has collected 140 tons of trash in its ongoing clean-up operations since the flash floods Tuesday night.
Attorney John Jigo Dacua, head of the DPS, said they were still continuously hauling trash from the city’s waterways as a preventative measure for the expected heavy rains that could cause flooding in the city.
Mayor Edgardo Labella ordered the cleaning of the waterways after two people died and a minor disappeared during the flood on October 13, 2020.
Read: Two dead, minor still missing due to floods in Cebu City
The mayor told reporters in a conference call on October 14, 2020 that trash was the main reason General Maxilom Avenue or Mango Avenue was flooded to the waist.
Even as the rains are falling tonight, DPS continues to collect trash throughout the city.
DPS will provide a more detailed report on the trash situation on Thursday, October 15, after cleanup operations are complete.
Read: Labella: Homes on the riverbanks must be relocated to solve the floods
Councilman Joel Garganera, chairman of the City Council’s Environment Commission, said that litter in the waterways had been a major factor in the flooding.
“To fix the flooding in the city, we have to clean our waterways. There is no other way, ”said the councilor.
Councilman Jerry Guardo, chairman of the board of the infrastructure committee, said that as much as the drainage and rivers need to be widened, the accumulated trash in the already compromised waterways would cause unprecedented flooding in the uptown area.
The short-term solution would be to regularly maintain the waterways and remove trash as often as the city can.
However, the long-term solution would be to dredge, deepen and widen the main rivers of the city. / dbs
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