By CESAR JOLITO III
Heavy rains combined with clogged drainage canals caused flooding at Generoso Villanueva Sr. National High School in Barangay Granada on Wednesday afternoon, August 20, leaving around 400 students stranded inside the campus.
Barangay Granada chief Armando Vito confirmed that garbage and thick vegetation blocked the drainage system, preventing rainwater from flowing out.
The city experienced several hours of rain on Wednesday, brought about by a low pressure area and the intertropical convergence zone.
Some students were forced to wade through floodwaters just to get home.
“This is the first time flooding of this scale has happened in the area. The sheer volume of rainfall and the clogged canal triggered the incident,” Vito said.
The school principal assured that measures are already in place to prevent a repeat of the incident, including regular weekly clearing of the drainage system.
Local officials are also urging residents to practice proper waste disposal, stressing that indiscriminate dumping of garbage contributes to clogged waterways and flooding.
The barangay council said it will coordinate with the City Engineer’s Office to assess if further flood mitigation projects are needed in the area.
Meanwhile, some puroks in Barangay Singcang-Airport were affected by flooding on Wednesday afternoon.
According to Councilor Caesar Distrito, the floodwater rose to knee level in several areas, especially Purok Mars, due to high tides and the overflowing of the Lupit and Magsungay Rivers.
Distrito added that both rivers are now shallow after being filled with garbage and silt.
In response, the councilor plans to recommend to Mayor Greg Gasataya the conduct of dredging operations in the affected rivers.
P10.78 billion worth of flood control projects
A number of multi-million flood control projects in Bacolod and Negros Occidental have been listed with completion dates from 2022 to 2025, according to the Isumbong sa Pangulo website.
More than P10.78 billion worth of flood control projects have been implemented across 23 cities and municipalities in the province over the last three years, website data revealed.
From 2022 to 2024, Negros Occidental recorded a total expenditure of P10,784,148,506.17 for flood mitigation projects, with Bacolod topping the list at 47 projects.
Binalbagan town followed with 29 projects, while the cities of Victorias and Silay had 16 projects each.
The cities of Cadiz, Talisay and San Carlos recorded 12 projects each, while Kabankalan City logged 10 projects.
Other localities that benefited include Sagay City (seven projects), La Castellana (six), Bago City (four), Ilog (four), Sipalay City (three), Don Salvador Benedicto (three), E.B. Magalona (three), Valladolid (three), La Carlota City (two), San Enrique (two), Pulupandan (two), Pontevedra (two), Calatrava (two), Himamaylan City (one), and Manapla (one).
The projects form part of the national government’s ongoing effort to strengthen infrastructure against flooding, which remains one of the biggest threats to agriculture, livelihoods and communities in the province.
The data, however, comes at a time when flood control projects in Negros Occidental have drawn public scrutiny, with calls for greater transparency and accountability over the selection of contractors, project costs, and quality of implementation./CJ, WDJ