POSSIBLE BANG MAGING FLOOD FREE ANG METRO MANILA?
Tila naging normal nang eksena sa Metro Manila na kasunod ng mga pag-ulan ang pagbaha sa iba't ibang lugar sa mga lungsod.
Ayon sa isang pag-aaral, kabilang sa mga tinukoy na hydrological factors na nakakakaambag sa pagbaha ay ang mabilis na urbanisasyon at aktibidad ng mga tao.
Ayon sa DPWH, target nilang maging flood-free ang Metro Manila pagsapit ng 2030. Kakayanin kaya? Here's what you #NeedToKnow
Tila naging normal nang eksena sa Metro Manila na kasunod ng mga pag-ulan ang pagbaha sa iba't ibang lugar sa mga lungsod.
Ayon sa isang pag-aaral, kabilang sa mga tinukoy na hydrological factors na nakakakaambag sa pagbaha ay ang mabilis na urbanisasyon at aktibidad ng mga tao.
Ayon sa DPWH, target nilang maging flood-free ang Metro Manila pagsapit ng 2030. Kakayanin kaya? Here's what you #NeedToKnow
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NewsTranscript
00:00 The roads are full of rivers.
00:02 The commuters are stranded.
00:06 And the traffic is heavy.
00:13 That's the common scenario in some parts of Metro Manila whenever it rains.
00:19 But the residents and commuters are constantly being harassed.
00:23 In a GMA Integrated News interview,
00:27 the Department of Public Works and Highways targets
00:30 that Metro Manila will be flood-free by 2030.
00:34 What we have here is up to 2030.
00:38 We won't see any more floods, bad roads, and all kinds of problems.
00:43 Is this possible?
00:45 Here's what you need to know.
00:48 November 2020, when the Typhoon Ulysses hit the Philippines.
00:55 It caused floods in some parts of Metro Manila,
00:59 which is considered the worst flood in years.
01:02 Since on both sides of Sierra Madre, we've seen heavy rains.
01:06 It's possible that the heaviest rain that wasn't recorded here
01:11 in Science Gardens in Quezon City,
01:13 was caused by the mountain.
01:15 And that's what caused the floods here in Marikina River Basin.
01:21 Every year, the average number of floods
01:25 that hit the Philippine Area of Responsibility is 20.
01:28 According to the forecast,
01:30 8 to 11 tropical cyclones will hit the Par
01:34 from August 2023 to January 2024.
01:38 July to October is the peak of the typhoon season in the country,
01:43 where 70% of the typhoons are developing.
01:48 Aside from typhoons,
01:51 Southwest monsoons also cause rain.
01:53 These are meteorological events and natural causes of floods.
01:58 In a policy brief published by the UP Center for Integrative and Development Studies,
02:04 hydrological factors that contribute to floods were discussed.
02:08 These include soil moisture condition
02:11 and the ability of the soil to absorb excess water.
02:15 Human activities also contribute to the prevention of flood problems,
02:20 such as the establishment of residential establishments in flood-prone areas.
02:25 Due to rapid urbanization,
02:28 the infiltration of soil in Metro Manila,
02:31 which is mostly concrete, is low.
02:33 Because of this,
02:35 the drainage system that collects the high volume of excess water is difficult.
02:40 We have floods, rivers, and creeks.
02:46 When it rains, water really flows.
02:49 We thought that we would build a house,
02:54 we would build a subdivision,
02:56 but those are floodplains.
02:57 When it rains, it is returned by nature.
03:00 Because it is really up to nature.
03:02 According to the DPWH,
03:04 the old drainage system in Metro Manila needs to be replaced and built.
03:10 They also say that the waterways are blocked due to the garbage.
03:14 Before the rain, it took about 6 hours to 10 hours to subside.
03:20 Our estuaries were a bit clogged.
03:22 At least, our drainage facilities are a bit old.
03:27 If there is no garbage in our construction sites,
03:31 our drainage facilities will not be clogged.
03:35 According to Dr. Mahar Lagmay of the UP Resilience Institute,
03:38 most flood-prone areas in Metro Manila
03:41 are near the intersections of creeks and roads in low-lying areas.
03:46 If the creeks overflow and it cannot be drained immediately,
03:49 the road nearby will also flood.
03:52 The soil is there, the water is there.
03:55 The water needs to flow.
03:58 It does not flood all the time, all throughout the year.
04:02 But sometimes, it will overflow because that is the real source of water.
04:07 DPWH and MMDA have several projects to reduce flooding in Metro Manila,
04:14 such as the construction of retarding basins.
04:17 This is the place where the water can be temporarily imbucked when it rains heavily.
04:23 We have a lot of colleagues who work in our retarding basin.
04:27 So, the water from the upstream, which is in Espana,
04:30 before it can flow downstream to our pumping station,
04:34 we have to make it bottleneck.
04:36 Our office's aim is to have zero flooding in Espana.
04:41 According to Dr. Lagmay,
04:43 it is not possible for Metro Manila to be 100% flood-free.
04:47 Even though there are interventions and the implementation of flood control plans is in order,
04:53 there are several places in Metro Manila with low elevation,
04:57 such as Malabon, Navotas, and Manila.
05:00 When the 100-day rain return floods arrive, or even bigger,
05:04 the dam that you will build needs to be huge.
05:08 Economically, it is not viable to do.
05:11 And if this happens, there will surely be flooding.
05:14 In 2017, the World Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
05:21 launched the Metro Manila Flood Management Project.
05:24 Under this project,
05:26 one of the projects is the modernization of 36 existing pumping stations in Metro Manila.
05:32 20 new pumping stations will be built.
05:36 These stations will help pump water from flooded areas
05:42 to rivers or any body of water.
05:45 They will also fix some critical waterways in some places in Metro Manila.
05:50 The project's funding is US$500 million until November 2024.
05:58 But according to the 2022 Audit Report of the Commission on Audit in the MMDA,
06:03 out of 47 projects, only 14 projects were completed by the agency.
06:09 The MMDA promised to prioritize the projects that were funded this year.
06:15 I can say that about 95% of the projects that were funded by the agency are completed.
06:22 Just this August 2023,
06:25 the World Bank approved the proposed 50-year drainage master plan that was approved by the MMDA.
06:31 If the projects are completed,
06:34 it will help reduce the periwisong dulot of flooding.
06:38 It can be reduced.
06:40 It is not that severe, especially in big deluge areas,
06:46 the flood can be reduced.
06:49 People will be safer with appropriate warnings.
06:53 With the increasing population in the country and the rapid urbanization in Metro Manila,
06:59 the rise of flood risk,
07:02 along with the stronger and more frequent rains due to climate change,
07:07 according to Dr. Lagmay,
07:09 the solutions must be studied well and holistically.
07:13 This will have an impact on development,
07:15 it will have an impact on the growth of our economy,
07:18 it will have an impact on the attainment of sustainable development goals.
07:23 The root of the problem must be solved,
07:26 not just a matter of being a fool.
07:28 [Music]