Makati starts dredging ops for flood control

MANILA, Philippines - The Makati Department of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW) on Thursday started dredging operations at the Makati Diversion Channel where the Calatagan and Ayala Creeks intersect, as part of the city's intensified flood control measures.

Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay said priority must be given to improving Makati’s flood control and management program and maintaining, if not further reducing, the receding time of floods in low-lying and flood-prone barangays or areas in the city.

Earlier, the Makati city government appealed to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to speed up road repair projects on national roads in the city, such as Sen. Gil Puyat and Kalayaan Avenues, following numerous complaints from motorists about flash floods and traffic jams in the said areas.

Makati City Engineer Mario Badillo said delays in the completion of DPWH road projects would undermine the effectiveness of ongoing flood control measures being undertaken by the city government.

Badillo said DEPW personnel will be conducting daily dredging operations in the Makati Diversion Channel starting from Metropolitan Avenue (behind the main post office) all the way to San Lorenzo Creek, using dredging equipment like excavators, scows, crawler type backhoes and shovels.

Badillo said teams from the DEPW have also continuously conducted clearing operations covering the three-meter easement along waterways in the city in compliance with the Supreme Court Mandamus. Recovered easement areas are paved and turned into linear parks, he added, citing recently completed projects in Brgys. San Isidro and Palanan.

Earlier, the DEPW had hauled over 100 metric tons of silt and debris from some 16,000 linear meters of drainage and canals in Barangays San Antonio, La Paz and Pio del Pilar.

Meanwhile, a week-long massive clearing and cleanup drive was started on Monday at P. Binay St. along the Tripa de Gallina Creek in Brgy. Bangkal to clear the debris that remained after the demolition of illegal structures and the relocation of over 500 informal settler families to National Housing Authority housing projects in Trece Martires, Cavite.

The joint undertaking of the city government and DILG-Makati has involved the DEPW, Department of Environmental Services, Brgy. Bangkal officials and residents, the office of Rep. Monique Lagdameo, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, DPWH, and Maynilad.

Creeks under close monitoring by DEPW include Amorsolo, Maricaban, Medina, PNR, Makati Diversion Channel, Tripa de Gallina-Bangkal and Calatagan, Camachile, Sanzibar, Sta. Clara, Balisampan, San Jose, Pateros, Pinos, Ayala, and San Lorenzo. Other waterways being monitored are those in Brgys. Singkamas, Kasilawan, and Carmona in District I, and in District II on Maya, Charlie, Zyris, Paloma, Target Range and 21st Avenue.

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