JONG CADION
Chief reporters
Torrential rains that occurred last July 24 drenched the northern part of this city and swamped Tawagan Sur National High School (NHS) after the Tawagan River overflowed.
As a result, the school could not hold classes by Friday, affecting some 1,150 students who crossed the hip-level flood.
It can be recalled that heavy rains started pouring Thursday afternoon as residents feared the unthinkable, knowing fully well how easily their drainage system get flooded during heavy downpour.
“Anang gabii naman nagsugod ug taas ang tubig, salamat nalang kay dili kosug ang agos sa tubig, naghinay-hinay lang kini ug tubo,” some villagers told this paper.
The Parents, Teachers and Community Association (PTCA) and village officials announced the suspension of classes later in the day when floodwaters did not subside.
Books, school records and some equipment were dripping wet and damaged by the rain, school principal Oscar Dolorin said.
He surmised the flood may have been brought by the overflow of water from Tawagan River down to the irrigation canals because of bamboo strips clogging the tributary.
These bamboo strips, along with garbage, were thrown into the river by who knows who and may have played a role in the flood..
It was learned that people from the DPWH have been consistent in clearing the river, but still, overflowing keeps happening since last year.
The workmen later found out that the sedimentation or siltation of the river bed in both portions, aggravated by the clogging of the drainage culverts along the national highway near the school caused the flood.
Siltation is when earthy matters, fine sand, or the like are carried by moving or running water and deposited as sediments, choking up the drainage way.
The DPWH assessed this one needs major repair, like replacement of drainage culverts and the dredging of the river.
Punong barangay Mendato Marcaban commented this was the usual assessment but was never acted upon by DPWH, which only did minor repairs in the past.
The flood likewise affected residents in Brgy. Sta. Lucia, after waters from Gatas River overflowed.
The City Social Welfare and Development (CSWD) reported zero casualty from the two affected barangays as Mayor Samuel Co immediately ordered City Engineer Felix Sabado to solve the problem, especially the one in Tawagan NHS.
Some residents grumbled, saying the construction of close box type drainage systems and the street lamp project should be hold at bay, for the mean time, and that their problem with the flood should be given priority.