Tuesday, April 29, 2008 MMDA: Camanava will soon be flood-free
ABOUT 1,800 hectares of land in Northern Metro Manila will soon be flood-free with the expected completion of the Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas and Valenzuela (Camanava) Mega Flood Control Project before the rainy season sets in, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said.
MMDA chairman Bayani Fernando said the public could expect less flooding in the area, traditionally the most flood-prone part in the metropolis, with the completion of the project before the onset of the rainy season.
He said the P5-billion flood control project funded by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) is now 80 percent complete.
The project which was designed to improve flood control and drainage system covers 18.49 kilometers of flood-prone areas in Camanava involves the raising of the walls along the Tullahan and Maralla rivers, the construction of floodgates on strategic locations and the construction of pumping stations, polder dikes and submersible-type navigation gate.
Earlier, Public Works Flood Control Director Carla Bartolo said the project would be completed by September this year.
The MMDA chief said a pumping station in Catmon, Malabon, one of the four pump stations of the project is set to be turned over to the MMDA next month while the P300 million Navotas pumping station is already finished.
The Navotas facility has a drainage area of 173 hectares and a pumping capacity of 13 cubic meters per second or the equivalent of one fuel tanker, according to the MMDA.
The flooding problem has dogged Camanava residents, especially those living in the low-lying areas, for decades. Heavy rains, compounded by high tides, usually trigger the worse flooding in the area.
At the same time, Fernando said the Pasig River widening project is making a big headway to ensure the normal flow of rainwater.
Aside from the widening project, he said the MMDA is also nearing completion of the Abucay pumping station designed to ease the flow of rainwater in the Manila area particularly along España Road.
Last year, the agency moved the historical Mabini Shrine to the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) compound in Sta. Mesa, Manila from its original site at the 2,000 square-meter Pasig River banks to make way for its flood control program.
Fernando said the Mabini Shrine's transfer to a new site in Manila is necessary to let water in the Pasig River flow more smoothly to Manila Bay.
MMDA flood control unit director Baltazar Melgar said the transfer would also allow better water flow from the esteros and canals of Marikina City, San Juan and Quezon City to the Pasig River.
Melgar noted that water at the upstream of the Pasig River runs at 535.58 cubic meters per second but slows down to 247.8 cubic meters per second when it reaches the Pasig River banks.
"These are the reasons for flooding in various parts of Metro Manila during the rainy season," he said.
He said they are also intensifying dredging operations in waterways and canals in the metropolis to mitigate the volume of water spilling over streets and drainage systems.
Fernando said the combination of these programs have resulted in lesser flooded areas in different parts of Metro Manila since the MMDA has taken over the implementation seven years ago from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). (AH/Sunnex)
