Earlier this month, the city’s Technical Infrastructure Committee (TIC) approved a fact-finding report recommending that development at Monterrazas be allowed to continue after finding that its on-site water retention systems exceeded requirements. The report was submitted to the Cebu City Council.
Monterrazas spans up to 118 hectares and has 24 detention ponds across 14 identified catchment areas. The detention pond system in its Montelago sector, or Catchment 01, alone can hold 27,483.4 cubic meters of water—more than three times the required capacity of 8,220 cubic meters.
Findings
During heavy rainfall on July 30, Monterrazas recorded zero discharge from its detention ponds, indicating that no water overflowed from the catchment into surrounding areas, Mont Property Group said in a company statement.
The company said the same result was recorded during heavy rainfall on Sept. 22.
Its project site team conducts inspections after rainfall to check the detention ponds and reviews closed-circuit television footage of the areas. Rainfall monitoring reports are then submitted to government agencies, the company said.
Despite the reported absence of discharge from the detention ponds, nearby communities, including portions of Guadalajara Street and Guadalupe Heights, experienced severe flooding. Mont Property Group said floodwaters in some areas can reach up to seven feet.
Flood mitigation efforts
Mont Property Group said it has also undertaken flood mitigation projects beyond the Monterrazas property.
These include widening a section of the Guadalajara Road drainage from 450 millimeters to 1.5 meters, rehabilitating the one-kilometer stretch of Quijada Road and installing cross drains and trench drains extending toward Banawa Elementary School.
The company provided catchment tanks, storm pumps and a generator set to Guadalupe Heights under a memorandum of agreement.
Other community initiatives include garbage clearing and hauling, funding for sitio-level garbage collection, drainage clearing and declogging, and the donation of a small vehicle to reach areas with limited access.
Call for further evaluations, long-term solutions
“Flooding in Cebu City stems from more than one cause, and solving it will require collaboration between the local government, developers, and other private stakeholders,” Mont Property Group general manager Camille Bondad said in the statement.
Monterrazas is among several developments within Cebu City’s watershed.
Mont Property Group said the TIC findings also identified other factors affecting flooding, including older developments without retention ponds, undersized municipal drainage lines and waterways altered by other projects elsewhere in the watershed.
“We welcome collaborative efforts with the LGU to address the flooding issue together. We’re always ready to provide full access to our technical data and facilities for further assessments,” added Bondad. —Ed: Corrie S. Narisma
