NEDA-6 asked to help solve city’s flooding woes

SOURCE: The Daily Guardian

LOILO City Councilor Joshua Alim is exasperated by the continuous flooding in the city despite the construction of this drainage system on Jalandoni Street, City Proper.

ILOILO City Councilor Joshua Alim filed a resolution requesting the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA)-6 regional office to conduct a study on possible solutions to the flooding problems of the city.

Alim also expressed “exasperation” on the continuous flooding in the city despite the construction of a drainage system on Jalandoni Street, City Proper.

He said the drainage project did not prove to be an effective solution to the problem.

“Flooding in the City of Iloilo every time heavy rains fall has been considered a perennial problem of Ilonggos,” he said.

Alim also requested NEDA-6 to facilitate funding from the national government for the construction of a water impounding facility.

He cited as an example the water impounding facility in Bonifacio Global City (BGC) in Taguig that helped addressed flooding in Metro Manila.

He said the project, which will cost more than P50 million, could be included in future projects for Western Visayas.

“When I talked to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and suggested the water impounding facility, they told me that ‘this is now the solution. This is now the answer to your query Councilor Alim’,” he said in a media interview.

Alim added that he has talked to NEDA-6 regional director Ro-ann Bacal and the latter informed him that if the project costs more than P50 million, NEDA could make recommendations to the Office of the President.

Alim said he coursed his request to NEDA instead of the DPWH due to lack of action from the latter.