Makati wants national roads declogged

MANILA, Philippines - The city government of Makati, one of the worst hit by flash floods in Metro Manila Thursday night, called on the national government yesterday to declog national roads such as Gil Puyat Avenue and Osmeña Highway.

“The city government is in charge of secondary roads, but even if we do regular declogging, Makati is affected if national roads are flooded. (Thursday’s) floods affected Makati residents and businesses. And it’s only the start of the rainy season,” Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay said as he noted that the national government is in charge of maintaining and declogging national roads.

“Makati will be at the mercy of the elements if the national government agencies do not act immediately,” he added.

In its report to the mayor, Makati’s department of engineering and public works (DEPW) said it completed the repair and improvement of the city’s drainage system, including the installation of new concrete pipes in low-lying and flood-prone barangays last April.

The DEPW also said it collected over 14,000 cubic meters of silt and garbage from waterways during the first five months of the year.

Flood woes

According to the Makati City government, during heavy rains, streets in Makati’s low-lying barangays would come under 0.30 meter-deep floods and it would take about an hour for the floodwaters to recede.

However, with the use of modern equipment and an efficient monitoring system, the city government has reduced the average receding time of floods in most low-lying areas to around 10 to 15 minutes. 

According to the Metrobase of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), the strong rains that started Thursday afternoon and lasted until early evening triggered flooding in some parts of Metro Manila as well as crippled vehicular traffic along EDSA and C5 Road.

According to the MMDA’s Flood Control Information Center (FCIC), the rain, generated by a localized thunderstorm, started pouring at about 3:30 p.m.

By 6:35 p.m., only the portion of Osmena Boulevard going to Gil Puyat Avenue remained flooded with almost 12 inches of rainwater.

At the height of the downpour, the FCIC recorded 21 inches of floodwater along Pasong Tamo Extension near the Don Bosco school.

The MMDA Metrobase said the slow moving traffic on EDSA was caused by flooding near the exit ramp of the Skyway near Gil Puyat Avenue.