By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
Floods have become a perennial problem for residents living within the segment of G. Araneta Avenue from Kaliraya Street to E. Rodriguez Sr. Avenue in Quezon City, which also causes significant travel disruption as motorists search for alternative routes to steer clear of this thoroughfare that gets inundated especially during the rainy season.
Applying lessons learned from the flood control mess that he unraveled in 2025, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. made sure that through the administration’s ‘Oplan Kontra Baha’ program, the government would resolve flooding in several areas in the country without repeating mistakes from the past.
This, as the President was accompanied by Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Vince Dizon and Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards (Project NOAH) Executive Director Mahar Lagmay during the inspection of the G. Araneta Drainage Improvement Project along E. Rodriguez Sr. Avenue on Wednesday.
During his personal assessment of the project’s progress, President Marcos Jr. received a briefing on coordinated efforts to remove garbage, restore the natural flow of water, and address the root causes of flooding in the area.
He then inspects the ongoing pipe-laying project and observes the operation of the mobile pumping equipment used to help mitigate flooding, with the former expected to be completed by next week.
The Chief Executive said in a media statement, “Ngunit hindi dahil bumabaha rito, dito lang natin aayusin. Hahanapin, nahanap na kung saan nanggagaling yung tubig at gagawa naman ng paraan dun para hindi na bumaba ang tubig, para hindi na mapuno ang ilog.”
Detailed breakdown of project components
The project is composed of a 758-meter long system of two 1.5-meter-diameter High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) pipes that would complement the two existing 36-inch-diameter drainage pipes, significantly increasing the drainage capacity from 1.91 cubic meters to 10.18 cubic meters.
The rehabilitation of the existing drainage system is likewise expected to speed up floodwater runoff from 19.8 hours to just 3.71 hours, ensuring the unimpeded discharge of standing water to nearby San Juan River, thus minimizing road hazards and improving traffic flow.
Implemented by the Quezon City Department of Engineering, the project began on March 6, 2025 and is slated for completion by May 31, 2026. Funds for this drainage improvement and rehabilitation initiative amount to P482.5 million, and are procured from the General Appropriations Act (GAA) for fiscal year 2024.
Also complementing the project is the river clean-up initiative led by San Miguel Corporation through the Better Rivers Program, which sees backhoes on floating barges conducting dredging and desilting operations in this area of the San Juan River.
A proposed pumping station composed of 2 units is also expected to begin construction by the end of the year or in 2027, which would add 2 cubic meters per second of pumping capacity to aid in keeping floodwaters away from G. Araneta Avenue and E. Rodriguez Sr. Avenue. (with report from Kenneth Paciente | PTV News)
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