Circle the drain

When a little rain drizzles over the City of Cebu, small puddles form. But when it pours hard, the streets end up flooded, leaving hundreds of commuters stranded.

The sight last Saturday night was unbearable. As the rain poured, worry kicked in on every individual who have yet to go home. Social media sites were full of photos of the flooded streets around the city and the bumper to bumper traffic.

The downpour that day was nothing compared to life threatening disasters such as Ondoy or Sendong. I thank God that Cebu is spared such tragedies. But with the current drainage problem, we might end up with something like that.

This isn't the first time Cebu was flooded because of a heavy downpour. The number one reason for the unstoppable surge of water on the streets is the clogged and old drainage system.

I know for a fact that local government units have been working on the improvement of our drainage systems. I have seen the rehabilitation projects but the problem is that it took them so long to finish the projects.

Take for example the project at Barangay Tipolo, Mandaue. I pass by this area everyday on my way to Cebu City and I noticed that work on this particular drainage system started last week of March. However, until today, the works have not been finished. And this is not the only drainage improvement work that has not been finished. There are many others all over the metro.

Government should speed up drainage works without sacrificing quality. The people of Cebu can no longer afford another flood and be stranded for hours. Floods are also a threat to the health of the people. We need to have this fixed as soon as possible.

But government cannot be totally blamed for this problem.  We also have a role in this flooding problem. Our improper disposal of garbage is one of the causes of the clogging of our drainage system. It is a fact that a lot of us just throw garbage anywhere, especially if no one is looking. In other countries, there is a strict enforcement of cleanliness particularly on garbage disposal.

 The rain and its intensity are out of our control. But proper garbage disposal and the finishing of the drainage system improvements could contribute to the solution of our flooding problems.