Is Dagupan sinking?
The question comes to mind amid a new debate about the cause of flooding in the city rages.
Is the constant flooding in Dagupan caused by global warming or by a claim that the parts of the city have sunk lower after the 1990 earthquake?
Assistant City Engineer Mar Prado believes that some areas in Dagupan sank by a few inches over the years as a result of the July 16, 1990 killer quake, a theory that his superiors in the city government do not buy.
Mayor Alipio Fernandez, Jr. in a separate interview disputed the claim citing results of the water mapping conducted after the quake which showed that the topography of the city remains the same.
However, he said, the level remains critical because Dagupan’s elevation is just two inches above sea level.
But Prado said the city never experienced any tidal flood before the quake but this became the norm after the quake and it gets worse year after year.
He proposed in a radio interview that if the city government has the money, it should order the upgrading and elevating of all roads in the city to keep them passable at all times.
He cited Arellano Street that had been upgraded and is no longer experiencing tidal flood. The worst regular flooding is in the area of Dior Village.
Councilor Alfredo Quinto Sr. has proposed the upgrading of all city streets to higher levels.
While liquefaction after the earthquake saw several buildings sank, the mayor maintained there is no scientific study that shows the city has sunk lower,
Like his son, City Administrator Alvin Fernandez, the mayor believes that the tidal flooding today in Dagupan that now includes the downtown area and the city hall is due to global warming which the city has no solution for presently.
But City Administrator Fernandez expressed the view that residents, on their own can help slow down global warming by complying with waste segregation program and to desist from burning garbage.-LM
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