P82-B planned flood-control projects remain in drawing board

By Mina Diaz

10/16/2009

Some eight million residents of Metro Manila will have to brace for more deadly floodings as plans for the estimated P82-billion flood-control projects that could have averted mega-floods caused by strong typhoons such as “Ondoy” remain in the drawing board for lack of foreign funds.

According to a flood expert from Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), people in the metropolis will have to live with floods for up to 10 years more as these projects go through feasibility studies, government and funding agency approval, bidding and construction period before they can provide relief to flood-prone areas.

“We have the right plans conceptualized way back in the 1970s but these were not implemented because we cannot get foreign funding,” said Patrick Gatan, major flood control project director, in confirming Public Works Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr.’s earlier pronouncement that lack of funds, not lack of plans, partly caused the destructive Ondoy flood.

He noted that out of 15 projects that could have really saved people in Metro Manila from floods, nine have not yet been started.

These include the Valenzuela-Obando-Meycauayan Area Drainage System Improvement project, costing P10.8 billion; the Integrated Drainage Improvement Project at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and and surrounding areas, P7.9 billion and the Drainage Improvement in the Core Area of Metropolitan Manila (which could have prevented perennial flooding in 73 sq. km of Metro Manila), P15.3 billion.

Gatan added the other key flood-control projects are the East Manggahan Floodway Area Flood Mitigation Project, P8.3 billion; the San Juan River Flood Control Project, P5.7 billion; the Upper Marikina River Improvement Project, P3.008 billion; the Marikina Dam Project, P4 billion; the Marikina Spillway (a 7.5-km flood mitigation project in the Laguna lakeshore area which will help discharge lake water), P17.6 billion; and the South to West Laguna Lakeshore Dike Project (60 km), P9 billion.

He said flood-control projects which were completed between 1988 and 2009 include the Manggahan Floodway Project, which costs P1.5 billion (it serves to divert floodwater from Marikina River to Laguna Lake); the Effective Flood Control Operation and Warning System Project (EFCOS), P600 million; the Rehabilitation of Flood Control Operation and Warning System (EFCOS) in Metro manila, P500 million; the Metro Manila Flood Control Project-West of Maggahan Floodway, P5.2 billion (which prevents flooding in western area of Manggahan floodway from Laguna Lake); the Kamanava Area Flood Control and Drainage System Improvement Project, P5.1 billion; and the recently started Pasig-Marikina River Channel Improvement Project (Phase 1); P4.6 billion.

DPWH Undersecretary Jaime Pacana, in a separate interview, said most of these projects are funded under the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) because local funds are not sufficient to do the work.

Gatan said many of these projects were not funded because they were not seen as priority projects.

“The government had other priority projects like roads and highways out of loans from JICA,” he stressed.

“After Ondoy gave us a shocking wake-up call, it is now high time to re-evaluate our priorities; we may now have to make a serious evaluation of these unimplemented flood-control projects,” Gatan said.

Relatedly, state weather forecasters said a potentially strong storm, with similar intensity and track as Typhoon “Pepeng” is forming in the Pacific and may enter the country’s territory this weekend.

“This weather disturbance is still in the ocean. It may gather strength while over the water, and may still change course so we will continue to monitor its development,” Nathaniel Cruz, Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) weather branch chief said.

As of 10 a.m., the tropical depression was estimated 1,870 km east of the Visayas with maximum sustained winds of 55 km per hour and moving in the general direction of Central and Northern Luzon-Taiwan area.

“It is expected to enter the Philippine area this weekend,” Cruz added.

The storm will be named “Ramil” once it enters the Philippine territory.

Most parts of Luzon are still reeling from damages incurred by tropical storm “Ondoy” and Pepeng.

The National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC), in its 6 a.m. advisory, said the two storms jointly caused 711 deaths, while 89 remained missing.

Damage to property from Ondoy and Pepeng amounted P19.906 billion, including P6.608 billion in infrastructure and P13.298 billion in agriculture.

According to Cruz, the approaching storm will not have any direct effect in the country, until it moves closer during the later part of the week, Cruz said.

“There is no storm, but we continually urge the public to remain vigilant and alert, particularly those living in and around mountainous villages because the soil is saturated with rainwater (from previous typhoon) so possibility of landslides and flash floods is high,” Cruz said. With Jason Faustino and PNA

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