Heavy rains caused flooding in many areas of Metro Cebu the other day. Streets became rivers and some neighborhoods literally turned into lakes.
Photos and videos showed what happened in places like General Maxilom Avenue where vehicles were literally swept away by high waters. Homeowners in different barangays also had to deal with water entering their homes. This time it was not just the ankle-deep water they have become used to, but waist-deep and even shoulder-deep water in some areas.
The floods the other day were no doubt caused in part by the heavy rains brought about by tropical depression Ofel. However, we can also attribute the floods to another thing; trash in our drainage systems.
Cebu City residents have long blamed flooding on an ineffective drainage system. However, the cause of flooding has long ceased to be just an issue with the drainage system, it’s more of what goes into the drainage system and stops it from functioning as it should.
That’s right, trash.
The cleanup yesterday following the floods revealed the obvious. In several areas our city’s drainage system was not able to absorb the floodwaters because of the volume of garbage clogging it.
Despite this, we still haven’t learned that the trash we carelessly throw into the street will end up clogging the drains. We still haven’t learned that drainage systems are not the same as trash receptacles.
Flood control is no longer just the government’s problem; it is now largely the public’s responsibility. The issue is no longer just about building a better drainage system. It has also become an issue of keeping trash off our streets and, in effect, out of our drainage systems.
Making sure our drainage systems function as they should is one way to minimize the potential damage nature can do. This is something all of us should be mindful of because we are facing more than just the usual this year.
The flooding problem is something we deal with yearly with the coming of the rainy season. But what exacerbates the problem this year is that we are facing an extended La Niña phenomenon on top of the rainy season. Also, we still have a pandemic going on, just in case anyone has forgotten.
As if that weren’t enough, more typhoons are expected as a normal occurrence as the year draws to a close, so we can expect even more than the usual rains to fall from the heavens.