MMDA admits ‘releasing’ dirty water

A foul smell coming from water released by the Quiapo pumping station caused a major inconvenience to the early morning motorists and pedestrians on España Boulevard in Manila yesterday.

City district engineer Lauro Sigua said the party to blame was the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).

Radio stations were bombarded with complaints of "flooding on P. Noval street and A.H. Lacson. Pedestrians complained of the foul smell, but were puzzled as to the source of the water considering it did not rain the previous night. Sigua said he coordinated with the MMDA, which promised to immediately attend to the problem.

"When we inspected the area at around 7 a.m., the water was gone," he said.

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Undersecretary flood control chief Undersecretary Cesar Lacuna told The STAR that the word "flooding" was an exaggeration because the water only reached 10 centimeters.

Lacuna explained that they were conducting their regular cleaning of the Quiapo Pumping Station, where they flush out the dirty water from the station in order to infuse clean water.

The procedure is often done during high tide.

"Yesterday, the floodgates were opened at 4 a.m., but the road was cleared of water before 7 a.m. We underestimated how high the tide was at that time so when we released the water it caused a minor puddle," he explained. – Evelyn Macairan