The severe flooding that hit Metro Manila in the past few days only exposed the kind of mentality that some Filipinos have when it comes to garbage disposal, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) lamented on Tuesday, July 22, amid concerns and criticisms on the government’s flood control projects.

From home appliances like refrigerators to furniture like sofa, MMDA chairman Don Artes said that improper garbage disposal could also be blamed for the flash flood that affected millions of residents in Metro Manila.

While the 71 pumping stations in Metro Manila are working well in full capacity, Artes said one of the problems that affect their efficiency are the piles of garbage that goes with the floodwater.

“Just this morning (Tuesday), we found a sofa, a refrigerator and large pieces of wood in one of our pumping stations which appeared to have been thrown in the waterways,” said Artes in a Palace press briefing.

Artes explained that such large pieces of trash affect the pumping of floodwater out of the streets in Metro Manila as they clog the waterway of the pumping station.

And before these kinds of trash reach the pumping station, he said that they would naturally block the waterways since the drainage system in Metro Manila is old, which means that they are too narrow to accommodate a huge volume of water.

And the presence of garbage along the waterways, according to Artes, is what makes the flood situation worse in Metro Manila.

“Our drainage system is antiquated, more than 50 years old. So these drainage systems cannot accommodate sofas, refrigerators and other big garbage. The immediate effect is that this garbage would block the waterways,” said Artes.

As of 11 a.m. on Tuesday, the MMDA monitored more than 500 areas in Metro Manila that were submerged in floodwater.

Masterplan

The national government has been at the receiving end of criticisms over the severe flooding that hit Metro Manila in the past few days amid the weather disturbances that brought heavy rains in most parts of the country.

In 2023, Artes disclosed that the MMDA and the local government units of Metro Manila were crafting a drainage masterplan for the metropolis amid the perennial flooding problem.

Artes said the goal is to have an integrated drainage system with a synchronized measurement that falls under the parameter of efficient outflow of water in the metropolis.

The drainage master plan for Metro Manila they are crafting, according to Artes, will have a lifespan of at least 50 years.

The crafting of the NCR drainage master plan appeared to have stemmed from assessment and observation on the issues of interconnectivity and difference in measurement of drainage systems in some of the LGUs.

Artes stressed that the flood control projects in Metro Manila are effective as he pointed to the pumping stations situated in various strategic points of NCR but the main problem is that the drainage system in most parts of Metro Manila are either clogged mostly because of the garbage, or too small to accommodate huge volume of flood water.

As a result, he said it usually takes time before the flood water reaches the pumping station. The pumping stations push flood water either to Pasig River or to Manila Bay.

Discipline

While the masterplan is yet to be realized, Artes said one of the contributions that each Metro Manila resident could pitch in is to properly dispose their garbage.

“Addressing the flood problem is not the responsibility of the government alone. We have to work together, we need the participation of everybody, especially on the aspect of garbage disposal,” said Artes.

“So we are urging our kababayan to have discipline regarding garbage disposal,” he added.