• CHERYL G. CRUZ
The city government is eyeing the rehabilitation and maintenance of all creeks and rivers in Bacolod to ensure free-flowing waterways and prevent flooding.
Councilor Dindo Ramos, who authored the proposed Creek and River Rehabilitation and Free-Flow Initiative ordinance, took note of the perennial issues on flooding, clogged drainage, and murky waters in creeks, canals, and rivers.
“Deep causes of problems, like flooding and clogging of rivers and canals, may be a long-term effect of rapid urbanization, poverty, and apathy to the environment concern of the community,” Ramos stressed, adding there is an urgent need to rehabilitate and ensure that waterways are free of garbage and other obstructions.
The proposed ordinance seeks to rehabilitate all creeks, rivers, and tributaries within Bacolod; remove obstructions, illegal structures, and solid waste materials that impede the natural flow of water; implement long-term maintenance and protection programs for waterways; and to involve communities in the preservation and cleanliness of rivers and creeks.
The dumping or throwing of garbage, industrial waste, or hazardous materials into waterways, as well as the construction of any structure, dike, or obstruction without permit from the city government and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources shall be prohibited, the proposal, already approved on first reading by the Sangguniang Panlungsod, stressed.
Violators shall be fined P2,500 or community service for three days for first offense; P3,500 and community service for five days, second offense; and P5,000 and/or imprisonment of not more than 30 days, subject to the discretion of the court, for third and subsequent offenses, it added. “If the violator is a business establishment, the penalties shall include suspension or revocation of the business permit.”
Ramos, chairperson of the SP Committee on Urban Poor, Housing, and Resettlement, also pushed for the creation of a Bacolod Waterways Task Force to oversee the rehabilitation and maintenance works; as well as the conduct of regular cleanup drives and dredging operations. | CGC
