The mayor said she has dispatched personnel from city’s social welfare, agriculture, veterinary and engineering offices to assess the damage wrought by the floods, especially on properties and agricultural crops.
Custodio said personnel from the National Irrigation Administration and the Department of Agriculture proceeded to the area to look into the situation.
The City Engineering Office has initially deployed a backhoe in nearby Barangay Bula to relieve the clogged portions of the river’s outlet, she said.
“We also provided relief goods to the affected residents and we’re looking at releasing additional assistance to those whose houses were damaged by the floods,” said Custodio, who supervised the relief operations in the area on Monday morning.
Aside from the declogging operations and the implementation of other remedial measures, Custodio said the city government is currently studying the possibility of restoring the closed portions of the original waterway or outlet of Kalaja River to end the perennial flooding in the area.
She said the river’s normal flow towards its outlet had been altered these past years due to developments within the private properties that it traversed.
Some property owners reportedly closed down portions of the river’s natural waterway to give way to some land developments, she said.[]
“We will be seeking the assistance of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources for the tracing of the river’s natural waterways and eventually for their restoration,” Custodio said.[]
