This June, not only should we in the Talamban Campus expect bottleneck traffic in Banilad, we must brace for sudden floods as well. That is if reports of more storms coming our way this year were true.
It might be wise to add a pair of knee-high rubber boots to our shopping list for the coming school year, recalling past horrors of having to wade through filthy waters overflowing from the canal near the USCTC main gate. But before we join other commuters who blame our dear Alma Mater for not fixing its canals, we might consider checking how USC’s water specialists and engineers see the problem.
Among other things, recent study made by a team of USC experts shows that flooding in the road along the campus is far more than a simple canal problem. It’s plain old gravity: Rainwater water running down from the hills must go somewhere. In the case of Nasipit, runoff water from nearby hills must flow into the Cabancalan sinkhole, its natural catch basin.
Unfortunately, the sinkhole is now made narrow by recent landfill for subdivision projects. Lack of zoning plans is not only causing such encroachment of upmarket real estate, it has also spawned denser low end housing in recent years.
The increase in population naturally results in greater bulk of garbage and sewage, making the current drainage, which uses culverts with holes less than a meter wide, totally useless. They just couldn’t hold the impending deluge of sewage, rainwater, and garbage we failed to shoot into the bin.
Is there a more sensible way to brace for future floods than build an ark in the backyard?
The USC Cabancalan Sinkhole Study recommends that our city planners review land-use plans; create retention ponds at MCWD, USCTC, and Maria Luisa Estates; improve drainage system by installing culverts with bigger holes; and find alternative channels to direct water from the pond to the Butuanon river.
The latter may cause the most discomfort to the public, as it may have to cut through homes and other existing property that stand in its way. But, as in the Banilad flyover project, long term solution to a problem affecting most people often requires sacrifice on the part of the public.
Thus, with this study, the University has made its case before its partners—government institutions, NGOs, road users and homeowners from affected communities in Banilad, Nasipit, and Cabancalan. It’s now up to the authorities and the public in general to act on it.
