Fallen acacia tree stops traffic in Naga 1 -AA+A By Davinci S. Maru Sunday, July 21, 2013 CEBU -- One of the century-old acacia trees in Naga City fell and blocked the national highway in Barangay Tinaan on Friday night, causing a six-hour traffic jam that irked motorists and commuters. A sudden heavy rain with strong winds, brought by Tropical Storm Isang, was believed to have caused the fall. The tree stretched more than 25 feet high and, at its widest point, had a diameter of 226 centimeters or more than seven feet. Another explanation for the fall could be the ongoing road-widening project from Naga City to Carcar City, which could have weakened the soil around the tree, said Ray Mantalaba of the City Planning Division Center (CPDC). No one was injured. No house or vehicle was damaged after the tree started to snap past 7 p.m. before it fell. “Swerte gyud kaayo kay wala’y na-igo nga agianan gud na diha (By a stroke of luck, no one got hurt),” Mantalaba told Sun.Star Cebu. Traffic jam He said they received the report at 8 p.m. and immediately proceeded to the site near the Apo Cement plant. Vehicles, both leaving Cebu City and heading for it, already started to pile up before the authorities arrived. In the northern part, the traffic stretched as far as the flyover in Naga City, while the build-up reached San Fernando town in the south. Mantalaba said he called up the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for help after they saw they couldn’t clear the road alone. He said they were able to cut the tree at 11 p.m. by using three chainsaws and managed to load the tree’s parts on three payloaders after the PDRRMC and DPWH arrived. Removal Mantalaba said they finished the clearing operation past 1 a.m. They placed the tree’s cut-up trunk and branches by the side of the road. “We are still waiting for what the mayor wants to do next with it,” he said. Superintendent Eduardo Saavedra, head of the Naga City Police Station, said he deployed his police personnel to direct the traffic. But before the tree was removed, hundreds of passengers opted to walk for about a kilometer and cross the Tinaan Bridge on foot, to transfer to other waiting vehicles on the other side. Some college students, who travel to and from the city daily, were seen climbing over the fallen tree just to reach their destination. Some passengers remained in the buses or cars and decided to wait until the clearing operations were finished. Wilson Ramos of PDRRMC said they looked for alternative routes for the hospital ambulances to get through. He also denied reports they only used one chainsaw, which was supposedly why the operation took so long. Engr. Daisy Toledo of Cebu Second District Engineering Office said her office has been waiting for the permit to cut the trees. Warning? She said they will cut about 900 trees from Naga City to Carcar City that poses danger to motorists and commuters while the road-widening work is ongoing. Toledo said the incident will serve as a warning to those who opposed the cutting of the trees. The trees were the center of controversy last year after a group of concerned citizens contradicted the government agencies that proposed to cut the trees. The Movement for a Livable Cebu (MLC) has suggested a solution that will allow the road-widening to continue while ensuring the protection of the trees. The group said century-old trees can be protected by creating green island parks around them and further widening the road to provide an extra lane. Aside from protecting the century-old trees along the Cebu South Road, the scheme also proposed the separation of different types of vehicular and pedestrian traffic. The group said the biggest cause of traffic on the Cebu South Road is the mix of various types of fast and slow transportation, such as trucks, buses, tricycles, private vehicles and even bicycles.Shaukat khan Cebu.
Posted on: Sat, 20 Jul 2013 22:23:24 +0000
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