Acting Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) general manager Baltazar Melgar traced Tuesday the flooding experienced in Manila the past weekend on an ongoing drainage project related to the Dolomite Beach attraction along Manila Bay.
According to Melgar, the heavy rains on Friday partly caused the flooding of Manila streets because three drainage systems had been closed to make way for the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) project.
The inoperational drainage systems are located along Padre Faura, Remedios Street, and the Estero De San Antonio, he said.
Diggings at Padre Faura, motorists and residents have lamented, have also been going on for months dating back to the Duterte administration.
The diggings have been snarling traffic in the area despite the relatively low volume of vehicles passing through the avenue amid the pandemic.
When finished, the DPWH project would channel sewer water to a treatment facility before being released at Manila Bay near Dolomite Beach, according to the MMDA official.
Melgar explained that the drainage systems have remained closed as the DPWH has yet to complete laying down pipes connected to a pumping station. Flood water, thus, was slow to subside in Manila when heavy rains hit the metropolis over the weekend, he added.
The Dolomite Beach is a project of the Department of the Environment and Natural Resources to beautify a section of Manila Bay, famous for its breathtaking sunset, to attract local and foreign tourists.
The DPWH project, on the other hand, is intended to make the water at Manila Bay safe for swimming and watersports.
Presently, instead of releasing floodwater directly to Manila Bay, the same is released first to the Pasig River.
The MMDA, the implementer of policies and regulations set by the Metro Manila Council composed of the 17 mayors in the National Capital Region, said it might require the DPWH to install mobile pumps or to allow the operation of existing pumps as needed, like when heavy rains would result to flooding in the metro.