San Juan City Mayor and Metro Manila Council (MMC) president Francis Zamora on Sunday, Aug. 3, said that the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) are set to finalize a new drainage master plan to ease worsening floods in Metro Manila.

In a radio interview, Zamora said he and MMDA Chairman Atty. Don Artes have been discussing recent flooding problems caused by consecutive weather disturbances, stressing the need for a new drainage master plan, as many existing systems are already outdated and can no longer handle the current volume of rainfall.

“Ito po yung mahalaga sapagkat ang drainage system po natin sa Metro Manila, luma na po at nung panahon na hindi pa ganun kalaking populasyon ng ating National Capital Region (This is important because our drainage system in Metro Manila is already outdated and was built at a time when the population of the National Capital Region was not yet as large),” Zamora said.

“So kailangan talaga ay aralin natin ang ating mga drainage systems, gumawa ng isang bagong master plan na talagang kakayanin po yung… number one, yung population natin, yung current volume po ng pag-ulan ngayon, climate change is real… problema ng basura (We really need to study our drainage systems and create a new master plan that can handle our current population, the present volume of rainfall, the realities of climate change, and the problem of garbage),” he added.

Citing Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Sec. Jonvic Remulla, the mayor said, “On the average, kada-isang tao produces one kilo of trash a day. Kung 15 million po tayong Pilipino sa Metro Manila araw-araw (Each person produces about one kilo of trash a day. So if we are 15 million in Metro Manila, that means 15 million kilos of trash), that's 15 million kilos of trash a day.”

He said this garbage ends up in waterways, rivers, creeks, and drainage systems, blocking the flow of water and causing floods when it rains.

He also mentioned drainage systems with structures built over them, saying these should be removed if necessary for the good of the community.

"Yung mga dating bukas na kanal, ngayon meron nang bahay, meron nang building. Kailangan talaga i-inbentaryohin lahat ng mga drainage systems. Kung meron mga structures na kailangan tanggalin for the good of the community, then dapat aksyunan po ‘yan (Some canals that were once open now have houses or buildings built over them. There is a need to thoroughly inspect all drainage systems, and if some structures need to be removed for the community’s benefit, then action must be taken),” Zamora explained.