By NITZ ARANCON Correspondent COUNCILOR Teodulfo Lao Jr. on Wednesday blamed the flood that inundated and rendered a major section of CM Recto Ave. impassable last week to land development projects that diverted the Bitan-ag Creek. Lao alleged that the company that developed the Limketkai center altered the flow of the Bitan-ag Creek with the consent of city hall years ago. The councilor said this after the city council created a special committee to look into the state of Bitan-ag Creek and other waterways in the city. The special committee, headed by Vice Mayor Raineir Joaquin Uy, was created to study the worsening urban flooding problem, and in an effort to help in producing a new drainage masterplan for the city. “Wala pa may atong drainage masterplan karon, ma-o nang mabaha-an gyud ta  dinhi sa Cagayan de Oro,” said Lao. The special committee would convene before Feb. 5 and start working on a masterplan. He said the committee would likely produce a blueprint within two months. Lao said the special committee would check all of the city’s existing waterways, including Bitan-ag Creek that stretches from Barangay Camaman-an towards the Limketkai center all the way to Barangay Puntod. He said the flooding problem was aggravated because the Limketkai firm changed the flow of Bitan-ag Creek. “Straight man unta kana nga creek sa una, gikan sa Camaman-an, lahos sa national  highway, pero ila mang giliko-liko. Mao nang mo-overflow ang tubig. Baha dayon ang resulta,” Lao said. During the Emano administration, city hall gave the Limketkai group permission to cover and concrete a portion of Bitan-ag Creek, according to Lao. He said a parking area near the Limketkai center branch of McDonald’s was developed over the creek. Lao recalled that he, Councilor Zaldy Ocon and the then councilor Roger Abaday strongly opposed the approval of the ordinance that allowed that portion of the creek to be covered. He said city hall had no authority to give that permission. “Supak kami kay ang Supreme Court nagsulti nga walay gahom ang local  government sa pag-usab sa hitsura sa mga national patrimony sama  sa mga creeks, rivers ug  uban pang bodies of water kay kana nga   gahom iya lang sa Kongreso,” Lao said.