Cebu City cleans up waterways

CEBU CITY – A city-wide clearing operation on major rivers and other waterways have commenced in the aftermath of the heavy flooding that hit this city in recent days.

At least 2,000 structures found to have encroached on the three-meter easement zone will be demolished.

Clearing operations started Monday, August 8, at Kinalumsan River in Barangay Mambaling where a man and his damaged house were swept away by strong current at the height of a heavy downpour last Thursday night, August 4.

The recent heavy flooding was blamed to clogged waterways that prompted Mayor Michael Rama to order a city-wide clearing operation.

At least 29 families will be displaced when the city clears the Kinalumsan River of illegally built structures.

Displaced families will be temporarily relocated to the San Nicolas Elementary School while the city is finalizing relocation plans.

“We can assist them if they would want to return to their provinces,” said Jennifer Aviola, barangay coordinator of the Division for the Welfare of the Urban Poor (DWUP).

Aviola said that residents whose houses stood within the easement zones on Kinalumsan River have been notified way back 2019 that they need to vacate the area.

Most residents still stayed in the area even if they have been given cash assistance of up to P35,000 they can use for relocation.

Councilor Jerry Guardo said the city is in the process of identifying other areas where there is need for clearing operations.

“We will spare no one. Those that were built within the easement zone will be demolished,” said Guardo, who heads the city council’s committee on infrastructure.

Aside from DWUP, also involved in clearing operations are the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CCDRRMO), Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of Engineering and Public Work, and the Cebu City Environment and Natural Resources Office.