Legazpi’s P1B flood control fund set for release this year

By Emmanuel Solis LEGAZPI CITY --- The national government is set to release P1B before the year ends to finance the rehabilitation and improvement of flood control structures in Albay district. The Department of Public Works and Highways’ (DPWH) 2nd Engineering District will implement the project, which is designed to accommodate the huge volume of water discharge that floods the city streets during heavy rains, Mayor Noel Rosal said Tuesday. “The street flooding in Albay district is a perennial problem during rainy season as floodwaters from the upper portion of the southern villages pass through and overflow the waterways heading down Albay gulf,” Rosal said. He said his administration is doing everything possible to address the district’s flooding problem that strands commuters and motorists, and paralyzes business transactions at the city’s central business center. The mayor said Legazpi has an urban drainage system with three pumping stations meant to address the flooding problem. The P2.1B urban drainage system, completed only rrecently, was considered as a mega flood control project implemented by the DPWH. However, Rosal said, the city experienced flooding anew on Dec. 29 last year and last Jan. 3, as major river channels were clogged with large volume of wastesindiscriminately dumped by residents near the rivers.