Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Benhur Abalos led amid pouring rain Wednesday, July 21 the inauguration of the Aglipay Bridge and pumping station in Mandaluyong City.

Located on Aglipay Street, Barangay Poblacion, the new infrastructures are expected to benefit the areas of Boni Avenue and F. Ortigas.

The pumping station in particular is meant to address the flooding problem in low lying nearby communities. It has two submersible engine pumps that can pump .3 cubic meters of water each.

The water that will be pumped from the area will go to San Juan River, while trash nets will be installed to catch garbage. This will prevent the trash or debris from damaging the pumps.

During Wednesday's ceremony, Abalos bared that the MMDA was planning to put up additional pumping stations as part of the agency's initiative to mitigate flooding in the metropolis especially during the rainy season. All 67 pumping stations in the National Capital Region (NCR) operational, he noted.

He said he already appealed to the Metro Manila mayors to pass a resolution penalizing those who indiscriminately dump their waste, which end up in the waterways. He said community service should be included as sanction for violators.

"Regardless of how much and how frequently, we pump flood water, if the public is still throwing their garbage anywhere, the problem won't be addressed. This is why we need to strictly enforce sanctions for violators and involve them in cleaning our waterways," Abalos said.

Abalos also said that the MMDA is continuously carrying out dredging, desilting, and clearing of waterways in the metropolis.