By Darryl John Esguerra | Philippine News Agency
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Thursday stressed the need to “relook” and “reexamine” the designs of flood control infrastructures as thousands bore the brunt of the southwest monsoon or habagat intensified by Typhoon Carina.
Marcos made the pronouncement after inspecting the situation in the cities of Valenzuela and Navotas, two of the hardest-hit areas in Metro Manila.
The President said the effect of Typhoon Carina and the habagat “was greater than Ondoy,” which also wreaked havoc across the metropolis and other parts of Luzon in 2009, despite having lower amounts of rainfall.
“We have to relook, we have to reexamine some of the designs of our flood control [projects]. Dahil, for example, the amount of water was not as bad as Ondoy, but the effect was greater than Ondoy,” Marcos told reporters after his visits to Valenzuela and Navotas.
“Mas malaki ang baha. Mas marami ang nabaha na lugar kaysa panahon ng Ondoy. Eh mas marami tayong flood control ngayon kesa noon,” he said.
Climate change, garbage
Marcos said climate change is also a factor in the massive floods in Metro Manila and other regions, adding that the flood control infrastructure, like the pumping stations in Valenzuela and Navotas, did not work properly as they were clogged with garbage.
“‘Yung pumping stations natin marami, nagkaproblema lang,” he said.
“Sana matuto na ang tao. ‘Wag na kayong nagtatapon ng basura dahil ang basurang ‘yun ang nagbara doon sa mga pump natin kaya hindi kasing effective,” he added.
The President said Navotas City has 81 pumping stations, while Valenzuela has 32.
Metro Manila and other nearby provinces, cities, and towns have declared a state of calamity as Typhoon Carina, which at one point turned into a Super Typhoon while inside the Philippine territory, and habagat brought torrential rains almost non-stop since early Wednesday.
Images on social media saw residents on roofs waiting for rescue, while some commuters, along with public and private vehicles, were also stranded along thoroughfares that turned into rivers in Quezon City and other areas in Metro Manila.
Damaged barrier
In the coastal city of Navotas, floods were exacerbated by its damaged navigational gate, which would have served as its protection during high tide.
Marcos instructed the engineers from the Department of Public Works and Highways to find a quick fix to the damaged floodgate, which has also been causing severe floods in the Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, and Valenzuela or Camanava area.
