Iloilo City Hall says flood prevention is everyone’s job

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

ILOILO CITY — The Iloilo City government reminded residents on Monday, Sept. 14, that flood prevention is a shared responsibility after a cleanup operation uncovered garbage and bulky waste obstructing drainage systems in Barangay Sinikway in Lapuz district and parts of La Paz district.

General Services Office (GSO) head Neil Ravena said city personnel found numerous obstructions to water flow while inspecting drainage canals from upstream to downstream in the areas.

“It is serious because when we approached the barangays, we inspected their canals from upstream to downstream and saw many things impeding the flow of water,” Ravena said Monday, Sept. 14.

Personnel from the GSO, the City Engineer’s Office, and the Infrastructure and Facility Conservation Office conducted a joint cleanup and declogging operation in Sinikway and La Paz over the weekend of Sept. 12 to 13.

City workers recovered about 2.6 tons of waste from the Sinikway drainage system, including a sofa, a broken refrigerator, tricycles, and a chicken coop.

“It is very surprising on our part that there are discarded sofas and refrigerators. These are the kinds of materials in our waterways that impede the flow of water, and then we complain to the government when we get flooded,” he said.

Ravena appealed to residents to help keep drainage systems and waterways clear, saying garbage dumped into these areas restricts water flow and contributes to flooding.

“We appeal to our constituents in the barangays that this is a shared responsibility. Our drainage systems and waterways become clogged because of garbage,” Ravena said.

He said the situation showed the need for closer cooperation between the city government and communities in addressing flooding.

“It is a manifestation that we should work together,” he said.

Ravena urged every barangay to regularly inspect its drainage systems and waterways to ensure that water can flow freely, particularly before heavy rains.

“In every barangay, we should look into our drainage systems and waterways to ensure that the water can flow. Let us not wait for heavy rains to come,” Ravena said.

He also called for stronger solid waste management at the barangay level, including ensuring that barangays have functioning materials recovery facilities where recyclable and recoverable materials can be properly sorted and managed.

Republic Act 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, requires every barangay or cluster of barangays to establish a materials recovery facility for the segregation, composting, and recycling of waste.

Iloilo City Mayor Raisa Treñas-Chu urged residents to make cleanup and declogging activities a regular habit as part of the city’s flood-prevention efforts.

“Eventually, these activities should become a habit among Ilonggos. That is why our every Saturday cleanup in the barangays is a big help,” Treñas-Chu said in a statement.

The city has been conducting weekly Saturday cleanup drives in barangays as part of its efforts to keep waterways clear ahead of the rainy season and typhoon months.

Treñas-Chu said the waste recovered from the waterways was no longer limited to ordinary household garbage.

She said addressing the problem would require coordinated action among city government offices and barangays rather than relying on a single department.

The mayor encouraged barangays and communities to continue conducting their own cleanup drives, particularly the city’s Saturday activities, which she said are attracting increasing participation.

“The Iloilo City government should be an example of cleanliness and an example of cooperation,” she added.