Mandaue village prepares for heavy rains, flooding

A VILLAGE in Mandaue City, Cebu has reminded its residents not to throw trash on the streets, as it conducted Wednesday, May 25, drainage suctioning and cleaning to prepare for heavy rains.

Barangay Centro in Mandaue City, led by its village chief Ignacio Cortes, started the cleanup of the village’s drainage lines as a precautionary measure against flooding now that the rainy season has started.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration announced on May 18 the start of the rainy season.

Data from the Mandaue City Engineering Office showed that Barangay Centro is among the flood-prone villages in the city. The other villages on the list are Looc, Opao, Umapad, Cambaro, Subangdaku and Paknaan.

Cortes said they do drainage suction quarterly every year, specifically on C. Ouano St. near Mandaue City Central School, where heavy flooding is often noticed.

“The water (flood) reaches the sidewalk, and most people are already troubled by it every time it rains. It is filled with silt,” he said.

Cortes added that they have already asked for a suction pump from the Mandaue City Government to expedite the cleaning of the drainage before the heavy rains come.

In the meantime, Cortes said their barangay’s street cleaners do the cleaning manually using their improvised lever block.

He also urged his constituents to be responsible and help address flooding in the city by not throwing garbage anywhere, stressing that clogged drainage is one major cause of flooding incidents.