Tidal waters breach Malabon dike

Hundreds of families along the Malabon-Navotas River were roused from their sleep as tidal waters breached the old dike in several places and flooded their homes Monday night.

Malabon City Mayor Canuto Oreta said flash floods, rising to as much as six feet, struck nine of the city’s 21 barangays or more than one-third of Malabon, at about 9 p.m. Monday.

He added that it was the first time that the unusually high water levels happened in some of the flooded areas. The affected barangays were Catmon, Dampalit, Hulong Duhat, Ibaba, Longos, Panghulo, San Agustin, Tañong and Tonsuya.

City information officer Bong Padua told The STAR that residents of Barangay Tañong, used to floodwaters rising one or two feet during heavy rains, woke up Monday night to six feet of water creeping into their homes.

Residents in the affected barangays said the water rose rapidly, virtually trapping many people in their own houses.

Oreta reported that the city’s rescue team immediately responded, evacuating trapped families from their flooded homes.

No one was reported drowned nor killed although some claimed to have sustained slight injuries when they rushed out of their homes as floodwaters filled their houses.

Engineer Ruth Senaida, officer-in-charge of the City Engineering Department, said a two-meter high tide caused the collapse of the old dike.

Oreta lashed out at the Department of Public Works and Highways and renewed his call for the DPWH to speed up the completion of the much-delayed multi-billion megadike project that the government claims will stop flooding in the cities of Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas and Valenzuela.

The project was supposed to be completed last June. DPWH officials claimed the project is 70 percent complete, but Oreta said the agency said it will be finished in September next year.

Oreta said the project cost P3,479,584,407.13 when construction began in June 2003, but DPWH officials said the project cost has since ballooned.

He said the city government cannot repair the damaged structures since they are components of the DPWH’s flood control project.

“Even if we fixed them, the money would be wasted. The DPWH will just dismantle the structures because they are not part of the project’s original design,” Oreta said.

He added that it would also be illegal under existing laws and agreements for the city government to spend for the repair of the damaged structures as these are already covered by the project fund.