The Marcos administration is considering the construction of five rainwater impounding facilities across Metro Manila to strengthen flood mitigation and increase the national capital’s capacity to manage heavy rainfall, Executive Secretary Ralph Recto said.
This was after Recto met with the Metro Manila Development Authority on Thursday, September 17 at Malacañang.
The proposed facilities, which will be administered by the MMDA, are designed to temporarily capture and store rainwater before it overwhelms drainage systems and contributes to flooding in surrounding communities.
“These impounding facilities will give Metro Manila additional capacity to catch and temporarily store large volumes of rainwater instead of allowing them to immediately overwhelm our drainage systems and flood our communities,” Recto said.
“When completed, these projects will help protect homes, schools, businesses and public infrastructure, especially during heavy rainfall and high tide,” he added.
The proposed facilities will be located at Camp Aguinaldo, Miriam College, Remedios Circle, Rajah Sulayman Park and the ASEAN Garden at the Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex in Vito Cruz.
Combined, the five facilities are designed to store up to 107,600 cubic meters of rainwater, providing additional floodwater retention capacity in densely populated and flood-prone sections of Metro Manila.
“This is the kind of flood mitigation and management infrastructure President Marcos wants to leave as a lasting legacy,” Recto said.
“Sa huling dalawang taon ng administrasyon ni Pangulong Marcos, mas paiigtingin natin ang mga proyektong kayang sumalo, mag-imbak, at maayos na mamahala ng tubig bago pa ito maging baha,” he added.
The Camp Aguinaldo facility is designed to serve a 172-hectare catchment area and store up to 50,000 cubic meters of water, while the proposed facility at Miriam College will have a 30,000-cubic-meter capacity and cover a 170-hectare catchment area.
In Manila, the facilities proposed at Remedios Circle and Rajah Sulayman Park will have storage capacities of 10,000 cubic meters and 8,000 cubic meters, respectively. Each will serve a 94-hectare catchment area.
Another facility is proposed at the ASEAN Garden in the CCP Complex in Vito Cruz, with a planned capacity of 9,600 cubic meters serving a 60-hectare catchment area.
MMDA Chairman Romando Artes has submitted documents covering four of the proposed projects to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. through the Office of the Executive Secretary and the Department of Budget and Management.
The five projects have a combined indicative cost of about P 4.05 billion, to be funded under the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management–Disaster Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Assistance Program.
Recto said the proposed facilities are part of investments in infrastructure that addresses flooding before rainwater reaches communities.
“Hindi lamang paglilinis ng drainage at waterways ang kailangan natin. Kailangan din nating dagdagan ang kakayahan ng Metro Manila na saluhin at pansamantalang imbakin ang tubig kapag malakas ang ulan,” Recto said.
“Our objective is simple: manage the water before it becomes a flood, and protect as many communities as possible.”