Heavy rains swell rivers in Dumaguete, Valencia

DUMAGUETE CITY – Spillways i n D u m a g u e t e C i t y a n d Va l e n c i a in Negros Oriental were rendered impassable on Saturday after rivers overflowed following heavy rains.

Sr. Insp. Alfonso Enriquez, police chief of Valencia, disclosed Sunday that the spillway leading to the Tejero Highlands Resort in that town was sealed off after the Okoy River broke its banks.

The spillway was rendered impassable for about half an hour until it became passable around 4:20 p.m.

The flooding left debris and piles of dirt that had to be cleared.

In Dumaguete, the Banica River overflowed, flooding the spillways in Bagacay, Candauay and at Colon Extension.

The City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) headed by Jose Chu deployed rescue teams during the flooding.

Traffic piled up in the capital as people looked for other routes after the spillways were closed down.

The Energy Development Corporation’s Negros Island Geothermal Business Unit (NIGBU) in Valencia reported unusually heavy rainfall based on readings from rain gauges at their geothermal power plants in Palinpinon town. (PNA)