ILOILO City – The Ungka flyover in Barangay Ungka II, Pavia, Iloilo is in the spotlight anew. The road beneath it experienced flooding during a downpour brought by a low-pressure area and an inter-tropical convergence zone since Wednesday, May 3.
There were no drainage inlets to drain the floodwaters, according to Engineer Jose Al Fruto, assistant regional director of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Region 6.
Due to road widening, the drainage inlets of the buried drainage system were no longer aligned and needed adjustments or replacements.
“Bal-an mo gin-widen naton ang area, amo na kon ngaa nag-move naman kita sang drainage inlets,” he said.
To minimize the knee-deep floodwaters under the flyover, DPWH-6 deployed a flood-mitigating machine to siphon the water since Wednesday afternoon.
“Para nga makapadasig sang pag-subside sang tubig,” Fruto told Panay News yesterday.
The machine and personnel of DPWH-6 are on standby at the flyover to immediately siphon the floodwater once it gets deep, he added.
However, Fruto admitted that the machine could not solve the flooding problem. This is the reason why DPWH-6 is fast-tracking the installation of big drainage inlets on both sides of the flyover to catch floodwaters.
A minimum of six drainage inlets will be installed to ensure a continuous flow of water in the drainage system, he said.
The DPWH-6 started installing the drainage inlets on the road beneath the flyover, but due to the rains, it stopped temporarily and only resumed yesterday.
Fruto hopes that the installation of the drainage inlets will be completed within a week or earlier, adding that they cannot speed up the work and place heavy equipment in the middle of the road because it can disrupt the flow of traffic.
Drainage inlets collect water from roads and parking lots and convey it to an underground storm drain system. They allow water to flow into and out of features as well as control the rate at which water flows along and out of the system.
Meanwhile, Fruto also said that to avoid harm to the learners of Ungka Elementary School located in the area, DPWH-6 will install a waiting area in front of the school.
He said the school agreed to move the wall further inside to make room for the waiting area.
Pedestrians from the school going to Robinsons Place Pavia will also be given better access so that they will not have to wade in floodwaters during rainy season.
Because of this, Fruto is asking for the understanding of motorists and commuters to give them enough time to finish installing the drainage inlets and improving the pedestrian lanes.
“Nagapangayo lang kita sang pagkonsiderar pa nga tagaan kita sang diutay nga tiempo para kay-uhon and we’re doing it,” said Fruto./PN
