Rescuers assist residents on a boat along a flooded road following heavy rains brought by Super Typhoon Carina, in Marikina City, July 24, 2024. REUTERS/ Lisa Marie David
A disaster scientist has highlighted that the current flood control projects in Metro Manila are insufficient for handling significant flooding events.
Mahar Lagmay, the executive director of the University of the Philippines Resilience Institute, stated on Friday that the existing flood control infrastructure in Metro Manila is only capable of managing minor flooding.
“Based on my observation, our flood control projects, as of the moment, can only manage small to medium floods,” Lagmay told Super Radyo dzBB. He emphasized that the infrastructure would be overwhelmed by floods comparable to those caused by Tropical Cyclone Ondoy, and there is currently no infrastructure in place that can handle such massive floods in Metro Manila.
On Thursday, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. attributed the massive floods in the country to climate change and improper waste management. Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero, however, questioned the effectiveness of current flood control measures and the utilization of the annual budget allocated for these projects. Escudero pointed out that approximately PHP 255 billion was allocated for the Department of Public Works and Highways’ flood control projects in the PHP 5.768 trillion national budget for 2024, which he criticized as disproportionately large compared to other critical sectors.
Lagmay further suggested that proper land use planning in the capital region would significantly mitigate the impact of disastrous floods. He pointed out the severe congestion in Metro Manila, including areas that are naturally part of river systems. “We should avoid building in flood-prone areas so there will be no disaster when the flood comes,” Lagmay advised.
Metro Manila was placed under a state of calamity on Wednesday due to massive flooding in several cities, caused by the Southwest Monsoon (Habagat) enhanced by Tropical Cyclone Carina.