Lingering problem
• Jade Valley residents lament flooding issue even after 30 years
RESIDENTS of Jade Valley, who evacuated and settled in the Juliville Health Center's gym following the Jan. 19 flooding, are still wondering why the government hasn’t solved the issue that has been lingering for the past three decades.
Evangeline Balgemino, upat na baha karon kung programs to address the a resident of Jade Valley wala pay assistance wala perennial flooding in their for 17 years, said she has gyud. Upat gyud kabahaan village. been complaining for years ang wala (The government Nonetheless, both but their complaints and was ready to assist during Evangeline and Elvera concerns fell on deaf ears. every calamity. However, have no plans to relocate She also complained that for the past four floodings, simply because they have the temporary shelter area we haven’t received any),” no choice. lacked blankets, towels, she said. Meanwhile, Salvacion and bed mats to make their Elevera Cataylo, a resident Baguio, a resident of Jade stay comfortable. of Juliville since 1993, Valley for 31 years, said she
“Kung naay mga calamity said she doesn’t want to grew her family and built mukuan gyud mu dismiss the government's or her dreams in her home. tabang gyud ang atong their barangay's efforts. At “Nandito nag graduate gobyerno gyud. So ngano the same time, she demands ang aking mga anak from man nga karon nga ika more transparency in the the beginning, gagmay pa childhood pa. For 31 years, abroad akong mga anak, tapos na ang mga eskwela… Kung kinsa kadtong nasa gobyerno na mutabang sa amo, I will accept, we will accept also (We were here since my children were still small and now they have graduated and are now working abroad … We will accept whatever help we can get from the government),” she said.
Jade Valley hugs the Davao River, which overflows during heavy rains and floods the communities around it. While some people blame land conversion as the culprit, city planners are quick to say that the areas converted from forestal or agricultural into residential are negligible enough to cause environmental damage.
The Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance aims to prevent a similar scenario by identifying flood-prone areas in the city and declaring them as conservation zones and thus, free from housing or commercial developments.
Tigatto Barangay Captain Lito B. Lapitan said the city and national government presented to them plans and projects to mitigate the problem. These programs include floodgates, pump stations, alternate routes to redirect the water flow, and dikes to prevent river overflow.
However, he also acknowledged that these projects won’t prevent another flooding. “Ang kuan lang pag mass calamity di gyud na nimo ma pugngan bisan pag unsa pa ang imohang proyekto (No amount of projects will prevent a mass calamity event,)” he said.