Last Thursday, several roads in Dumaguete City were submerged following an unusually heavy rainfall that lasted for over an hour.
The rain was a result of an intertropical convergence zone, a point where the north and south winds meet. This was not even a typhoon, but it sure brought back scary memories of Feb. 7, 2009 which saw Dumaguete’s worst flood ever.
Was it a simple case of blocked drainage canals or the usual excuse of denuded forests in Mount Talinis?
Mayor Chiquiting Sagarbarria, since the start of his term last year, has assigned a team of laborers to clean out the drainage canals of silt and garbage daily. Even on that Thursday, the workers were cleaning out the drainage canals along Hibbard Ave.
Clearly, however, this was not enough.
Dumaguete’s drainage system needs an overhaul. At least, we know where the weak points are, like Tubod, the Capitol, and Hibbard Ave., to name a few. We can start from there.
Dumaguete is a coastal city and it is higher than the sea. With proper drainage, there should be no reason why we would continue to experience floods at the slightest rainfall.