Ben Madilynn
THE DECLOGGER machines will shorten the time required to clean and declog drainage main drainpipes and culverts in Cebu City compared to manual cleaning.
This was the assurance of City Councilor Jerry Guardo on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024, two days after the council approved the resolution for the purchase of two brand-new declogger machines.
The resolution, authored by Guardo, aims to minimize flooding in the city during heavy downpours by improving efficiency in the cleaning of drainage system.
In an interview on Friday, Guardo said the City Government will purchase a 6×4 jetting vacuum truck with a 12,000-liter capacity, and a 4×2 jetting vacuum truck with a 6,000-liter capacity.
Each jetting vacuum truck has two separate compartments for storing clean water and collecting sludge or debris.
The new machines have an allocated budget of P24 million, charged to the capital outlay-construction and heavy Equipment fund of the City Government, according to Guardo.
The purchase was requested by the Task Force Gubat sa Baha.
Last Aug. 21, the council deferred approval of the purchase for further deliberation.
On the following day, Acting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia expressed dismay at the delay, as the equipment is part of short-term plans to combat flooding in the city.
On Tuesday, Aug. 27, the council held an executive session to deliberate on the proposed resolution.
The council then approved the resolution during its regular session on Aug. 28.
Guardo said the delay on the resolution’s approval happened due to the late submission of equipment specifications based on market availability and budget proposals.
The Bids and Awards Committee will now determine the supplier through a bidding process.
Guardo expects the equipment to be deployed by October 2024 at the earliest.
The councilor said declogging the city’s drainage systems is currently done manually.
Workers open culvert covers and pull out debris by hand, using bamboo poles to reach deep areas.
The new equipment will use jet-powered pumps for siphoning and suctioning debris clogging the drainage system.
“One machine will break up the blockage–debris, rocks, soil, and grease–while another machine will suction it out,” Guardo said in Cebuano.
The collected debris and sludge will be stored in a separate compartment of the truck for later disposal.
“The advantage is that even the deepest, most interior parts of our culverts can be thoroughly cleaned and cleared,” Guardo said.
Recent floodings have occurred in uptown areas such as Barangays Banilad, Talamban, Tisa, Apas, and Lahug, even during light rainfall, due to clogged drainage lines and culverts.
The 6×4 jetting vacuum truck will be used to declog drainage mains in major thoroughfares, while the 4×2 jetting vacuum truck will clean drainage mains in interior barangay roads and streets.
These new machines will replace an old declogger purchased a decade ago, which is no longer functioning well and can only suction water, not remove debris.
Desilting machines
Guardo clarified that the declogger machines differ from the desilting machines proposed by the Task Force Gubat sa Baha.
Retired general Melquiades Feliciano, task force’s chief implementer, has told SunStar Cebu that while the declogger machines are intended for the city’s drainage main drainpipes, the desilting machines are mechanical suction devices that remove siltation from the city’s major rivers and tributaries.
The City Government has allocated P50 million for renting desilting machines to improve river dredging efficiency.
A pilot test of this machine was conducted at the Tabacalera Bridge in Estero de Parian on July 23.
Feliciano added that the rentals for the desilting machines are already up for bidding. /EHP
