DAVAO CITY – Houses built along the five major rivers of Davao City will be demolished, Mayor Sara Duterte said.
Duterte said the local government has decided to prohibit residential structures along the banks of Davao River, Lipadas River, Lasang River, Matina Pangi River, and Talomo River due to the constant threat posed each time these waterways swell.
“We want to protect human lives from any incident along the rivers,” she said in her interview over Davao City Disaster Radio (DCDR 87.5).
She said that several residents in the city’s riverside communities have voluntarily demolished their houses after they were informed by local government of the risks.
“Several Dabawenyos readily accepted the explanation of our team on our basis why it is prohibited, what is the possible impact if anything happens to the rivers. Many of them readily demolished their structures, although there are few who resisted. So, we have to demolish their structures,” she said.
Duterte said riverside communities in the city have been mapped out.
She added that affected dwellers will be referred to the City Planning and Development Office (CPDO) and City Social Services and Development Office to get food assistance from the local government, and possible assistance for relocation.
Duterte explained that not all affected families will be relocated as CPDO will assess them if they would be qualified for the program.
Davao City emerged as the fifth most resilient among highly urbanized cities (HUC) in the country based on the Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index (CMCI) 2020, which measures the competitiveness level of the LGUs based on economic dynamism, government efficiency, infrastructure, and resiliency pillars.
The city’s ranking as overall most competitive HUC inched up to second this year from third last year.
Duterte also reminded Dabawenyos to brace for landslides and flooding this rainy season.
As of 2:05 p.m. on Saturday, the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office reported partly cloudy to cloudy skies due to the localized thunderstorms in the city.
It added that all river channels were being monitored at safe levels while the coastal status remains calm.