Makati gov't anticipates more thunderstorms, to buy flood pumps

MANILA, Philippines - The Makati City government on Thursday said it would be buying four flood pumps similar to the ones being used by flood control teams of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to help clear out flooded city streets faster during thunderstorms.

Makati City Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay said the pumps will be installed to strategic areas in the city.

On Wednesday, Binay met with private stakeholders and representatives of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) at the Makati City Hall to discuss the flooding problem in some parts of the city, particularly during thunderstorms that have occurred in the past few days.

At the meeting, Jaime Matias, general manager of the Makati Commercial Estate Association (MACEA), assured the mayor that the ongoing construction projects in the Central Business District did not contribute to the flooding because of their strict implementation of relevant guidelines and ordinances. He said construction firms have complied with their order to cease operations during a heavy downpour and undertake measures to make flooded streets passable.

Dindo Fernando, head of the External Affairs Department of Ayala Land, Inc., said that the Ayala Group has been investing heavily on flood mitigation. He and Matias acknowledged that the creeks and drainage system in the Central Business District are well maintained.

It would be recalled that the Makati City Building Office last July issued a memorandum to all developers and contractors of ongoing constructions in the city ordering them to conduct regular declogging of drainage facilities surrounding job sites. They have also been required to submit a maintenance report every month until project has been completed to the concerned district office of the city Department of Engineering and Public Works DEPW), which will issue the clearance required for the issuance of a business permit.

Binay admitted that the sudden rise in floodwater levels in some city streets occurred when the existing drainage system could not accommodate the volume of rainfall caused by a sudden heavy downpour. This, he said, also happened in other parts of Metro Manila. 

“The drainage system in the city has been well-maintained with regular declogging and desilting, while the waterways undergo constant dredging,” Binay said. “We perform these flood prevention and mitigation measures to lessen, if not entirely prevent any inconvenience to the public and to our stakeholders in the business community,” he said.

Binay, however, noted that clogged waterways outside the city’s jurisdiction have impeded the otherwise continuous flow of rainwater through its drainage system, causing floodwaters to rise in some parts of the city.

Binay cited the continuing efforts to optimize the capacity of Tripa de Gallina creek, which has an area of seven hectares and is a vital waterway in Makati because it receives the outfall of 80 percent of the wastewater in the city.

The city government last year completed the clearing of informal settlers and illegal structures along the easement of Tripa de Gallina spanning barangays Bangkal, San Isidro up to Palanan.

The DPWH has taken over the cleared area for embankment protection through sheet piling, and has started the first phase covering A. Bonifacio Street to Gen. Acuña Street. For its part, the DEPW will concretize the easement and construct a fence to protect the area from vandalism.

The thunderstorm last Tuesday afternoon that lasted for almost two hours left many streets in Makati City flooded and impassable to light vehicles.