• CHERYL G. CRUZ
The Bacolod City Development Council Executive Committee has approved for implementation community-based flood early warning systems (EWS) and flood mitigation projects, worth P85,996,400, per recommendation of the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
These projects and programs, chargeable under the city’s Special Trust Fund (STF) for 2026 and approved for implementation in the second semester of this year, include the construction of a flood control wall along the Mandalagan riverbank, particularly in Purok Carvic, P20 million; purchase of an amphibious excavator, P39.8 million; and an integrated flood early warning and environmental monitoring system, P26 million.
The DRRMC, in Resolution 9-2026, said that the proposed construction of a flood embankment along the bank of the Mandalagan River in Purok Carvic aims to address the recurring overflow of floodwaters during heavy rains and typhoons.
It added that repeated flooding in the area threatens the lives, properties, and safety of residents, and causes business disruptions and adverse economic impacts, thus the need for improved preparedness, early warning measures, and disaster resilience.
The Council also stressed the importance of periodic desilting and clearing of waterways in identified flood-prone areas, especially along downstream of major rivers and creeks.
These major activities are equipment-extensive, thus the need to procure additional excavation equipment for the desilting and clearing of all major waterways of Bacolod, it added.
The proposed integrated flood early warning and environmental monitoring system, meanwhile, is part of disaster preparedness, and include automated rain gauge, water level monitoring, weather station, air quality sensor, and outdoor warning siren.
The Sangguniang Panlungsod approved the related CDC Execom resolution on these projects June 24. | CGC
