The Iloilo City Government is gearing up to transform the Diversion Road in the Mandurriao district into a “green corridor,” targeting to plant some 10,000 native trees.
General Services Office head Neil Ravena noted that a high heat index is often recorded within the area, and the cooling station that was opened by the city government was only considered a “palliative” or a short-term solution.
“What is needed is one that is sustainable. We target to plant more trees because that is the long-term and sustainable solution,” he said in an interview.
The green corridor will create a cooler, greener and more walkable corridor, strengthen biodiversity, improve stormwater management and air quality, and enhance urban aesthetics, pedestrian comfort and overall climate resilience.
He said that they have identified native tree species that could thrive in the area to establish the green corridor, from the corner of Gen. Luna to Ungka in Jaro district, which stretches around 4 kilometers.
Ravena said they started planting native trees during the time of former Mayor Jerry Treñas, but they will be adding more to provide more shade.
Currently, there are around 2,000 native trees planted along Diversion Road.
“One of our targets is the bike lane so that at any time of the day, the public can go biking because of the shade,” he said.
Ravena said the local government has requested 100,000 native and fruit-bearing trees from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to be planted all over Iloilo City, including the Diversion Road.
They will start retrieving the seedlings from the DENR nursery in Tangalan, Aklan on May 29.
Ravena said they plan to start planting in July, but they will also be monitoring the El Niño because it would only be a waste if the survival rate is low.PNA
