BACOLOD City – Heavy rain poured on Thursday afternoon, flooding parts of this city, and worsening traffic congestion, the local disaster management office said.
Dondon Parandas, officer-in-charge of the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CDRRMO), said Barangays 12 and 8 were affected by the flooding which took at least an hour before it subsided.
The areas along Libertad, Palanca Street, Magsaysay-Araneta streets, Circumferential Road and some areas along Lacson Street were also rendered impassable due to the hip-level flooding.
According to Parandas, garbage clogged up in the drainage systems has been the cause of the flood.
“CDRRMO will conduct further declogging operations to alleviate the flooding in some areas here,” he said.
Congressman Greg Gasataya meanwhile said he will call the attention of the Department of Public Works and Highways to fast track their flood control projects in the city.
“We are just waiting for the election banning to end,” Gasataya said.
Based on latest meteorological surveys by the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services (PAGASA), the thunderstorms were caused by a monsoonal trough which extends from Palawan up to the Northern Mariana Islands.
The weather bureau also noted that despite the frequent afternoon rainshowers, it is not yet the onset of the wet season this month.
PAGASA weather specialist Joey Figuracion said the criteria in declaring the start of the rainy season includes the prevalence of the southwest monsoon and five consecutive days of rain that generate at least 25 millimeters of rainfall./PN
