District 2 Councilor Winnie Castelo is seeking an inventory of roads and streets in Quezon City that are perennially prone to flooding.
In a resolution filed with the city council, Castelo said the city’s engineering department should make the inventory so that the identified roads and road sections could be prioritized for improvement and drainage cleaning every year ahead of the rainy season.
He urged the engineering department to coordinate with barangay officials in coming up with the inventory.
“We should be doing that months before the onset of rains to prevent flooding in low-lying and other flood-prone areas and sections of roads. Flooding puts people’s lives at risk, destroys or damages infrastructure and private property, interrupts work and other means of livelihood, and disrupts mobility and economic activities,” he said.
“We could avoid all that suffering, misery and disruption if we plan ahead. We know that rains and floods will come every year and climate change will make the situation even worse, so we should have better preparation,” Castelo said.
He urged the engineering department to coordinate with barangay officials in coming up with the inventory.
In addition to the inventory, Castelo said the engineering office could come up with a funding estimate for a much improved rainy season preparation program.
“The city council and the city leadership should be willing to set aside the necessary funds for it. The lives, infrastructure, property, and livelihood we can save will be more than worth the money we will spend for preparation,” he stressed.
