LEGAZPI CITY -- The national government is set to release PHP1 billion to finance the rehabilitation and improvement of flood control structures in Albay district before the year ends.
The Department of Public Works and Highways’ (DPWH) 2nd Engineering District will implement the project, which is designed to accommodate the great volume of water discharge that floods the pavement during heavy rains, Mayor Noel Rosal said Tuesday.
"The street flooding in Albay district is a perennial problem during rainy season as huge volumes of floodwaters from the upper portion of the southern villages pass through and overflow its waterways going to the Albay gulf,” Rosal said.
He said his administration is doing everything possible to address the district’s flooding problem as it troubles 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 PHP2.1-billion urban drainage system 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 huge volumes of waste dumped by residents near the rivers. (PNA)
