NAGA CITY- A day after the thunderstorm that triggered flashfloods hampering traffic on this city’s main streets, city engineer Leon “Chito” Palmiano IV said on Monday that flooding here is not because of faulty drainage system.

        He said the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) confirmed that the heavy rains dumped by the thunderstorm far exceeded the city’s normal measure of daily rainfall and caused last Sunday night’s flooding.

        Portions of this city’s important streets including Ateneo, Mayon and Panganiban Avenues; and Isarog, Igualdad, Elias Angeles, Prieto, and Barlin Streets were heavily flooded after the almost two hours of heavy rains.

        Nicolas Beda Priela, a longtime resident along Mayon Avenue, told a local radio station that the avenue never had been as flooded as it was last Sunday.

        The city engineer replied saying it was because there have been many developments along the avenue that affected drainage. Runoffs and floodwaters from residential areas near it do not readily flow into drainage canals, which, in addition, has been too narrow to hold voluminous loads.

Bigger canals
        Palmiano said making the drainage canals bigger could be the best solution, but it would be far too expensive if fully implemented.

        In the meantime, the City Engineering Office is planning to construct more drainage canals to provide more outlets for floodwaters. Next month, he said, construction of a canal draining all of effluents from Mayon and Panganiban Avenues will be started.

        The City Engineer said draining Panganiban Avenue is currently difficult especially during downpours because drainage canals running along it from the city proper are only up to Naga Hope Christian School on the right side and up to its junction with Mayon Avenue on the left side.

        He also said that complaints of flooding inside Villa Sorabella Subdivision is currently not prioritized by the City Engineering Office because it should have been the subdivision developer’s and homeowner’s concern, as the city focuses more on draining thoroughfares.

        He added that several creeks in this city already have served as natural drainage systems. One example is the Dayangdang creek few meters from Magsaysay Avenue, which drains the residential areas of barangay Dayangdang.

Proper elevation
        On the issue claiming that flooding in this city is caused by a wrongly-elevated drainage system, Palmiano commented this is not the case. “Otherwise, floods will not subside,” he contended, saying that flooding here subsides easily as it rises. Clogging of drainage canals is the real problem.

        He mentioned aside from scheduling monthly unclogging of drainage canals, the City Engineering Office is also planning to borrow from a local government unit in Eastern Vizayas equipment to suck out blockages in this city’s drainage system.